


Getting Laid

by Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe, Egg-laying, Hive Mind, M/M, Monsters, Nonverbal Communication, Object Insertion, Oviposition, alien!Eren, alien!levi, mating instincts, riren - Freeform, shit gets weird my dudes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-01-17 05:59:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 37,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12358977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house/pseuds/Corporal_Levi_cleans_my_house
Summary: Mating drive has kicked in and though the distance between Levi and his home world is staggering, he would never deny his queen what is rightfully theirs.Kinktober Day 15: object insertion





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Eggs count as objects, right?

 

It wasn’t often that Levi felt the call to return to home planet. With the recent wars, their home world was left mostly barren and uninhabitable for all but the queens, of which there were few that remained. And so the surviving workers and soldiers spread out through the galaxy. Their mission was simple: gather resources and return them to the hives to feed the resident queens.

With a nifty world-hopping ability, this proved to be quite a manageable task. Though with resources spread thin in their own solar system, it often became necessary to travel further into less friendly territories. This task usually fell on the soldiers, who were more equipped for longer travel. They were better prepared to deal with unsavoury or hostile interaction, whereas workers were often more timid. And so workers stuck close to home, attempting to build little farms across nearby planets and provide a steady flow of sustenance for the recovering queens.

After fighting off several invasions from passing lifeforms, the surviving queens were left severely weakened. Most of their spawn were wiped out, and there hadn’t been any attempt at nurturing new younglings in years. Fertility was sacrificed for recovery. A slow and arduous process that required a lot of energy.

With the diminished population and battered landscapes, however, recovery was slow going.

The workers that made it through the fighting remained unshakably loyal. Many still scuttled about atop the surface of home planet, tilling the earth there with gentle additives to repair the soil.

On the neighbouring planets, more workers tilled more fertile crops and the soldiers stationed there hunted for local wildlife. Almost all the food that was gathered was transported back to home planet. There it was given to the queens. Their recovery was the number one priority, and most soldiers could go quite some time without needing to eat themselves. Just the workers required regular nourishment, taking only what they needed from the gathered crops before delivering the rest to the hives.

It had been that way for many years now. Harvest and deliver. Serve the hives. Maintain the queens.

And that was why, when Levi felt a sudden lurching tug in his guts, he paused in surprise.

The queen that held his loyalties was calling him home. And Levi knew what that meant; he was only ever called from harvesting in the far reach zones for a very specific purpose. As the most efficient soldier in his queen’s service, Levi had long-since become a worthy mate candidate. A viable partner for supplying victus supplements, or even eggs if fertility improved on the queen’s part and their breeding instincts activated.

It had just been so long since this kind of allure had taken hold of Levi that he faltered, the raven’s mind stalling while his body automatically started making checks.

Levi had plenty of nourishment gathered, rich and exotic kinds from planets in the far reach. If he left immediately, even at his top speed it would still take several days to be able to jump between all the worlds between Levi and his queen. That would be more than enough time to allow the nutrients he’d harvested to form a clutch.

Because that was undoubtedly what Levi was being called back for.

His queen was ready to mate.

Levi felt himself thrum with anticipation, equal parts eager and nervous. It had been a long time since things had been stable enough on their home world for anything outside of recovery efforts. The raven hadn’t so much as thought about mating since before the fighting had started in earnest. In all honesty…Levi was surprised to be called on for such a task at all. He was a good soldier, always had been. Before his travels into the far reach, he supposed he’d been a good mate. There had been many of them back then, a plethora of suitable companions for their resident queen to choose from. Levi wondered how many others would be called back home alongside him?

 

 

The journey home was a lot harder than expected. Levi stopped often to deal with small threats and replenish his own energy reserves – for the first time in a long time, he had to eat regularly. If the raven was going to have his eggs ready and make it home in any sort of decent time, he’d need to make sure he consumed enough resources to form a healthy clutch and keep his own reserves topped off for world-hopping.

The jumps were brief, but taxing. It was a convenient method of traveling, provided that one wasn’t intending to use it for long-distance trips.

With every new jump, Levi felt the call pulling him home change. It softened gradually, still just as strong but not as urgent now that his queen knew that Levi was on his way. In a way, that was its own relief. There was so little communication between them all nowadays that Levi had sometimes doubted the strength of the hive connection, especially the farther away from home he got.

Feeling it used so suddenly was a shock. The strength of it was surprising, but it gave Levi hope. If their queen was strong enough to be able to call to him like this over such a distance, then the recovery must have been going well.

The closer Levi got, the more he attempted reaching out of his own accord. Tentative brushes of thoughts against the ever-growing presence of the queen’s consciousness. He was almost overwhelmed by the reply, an immediate response that had Levi shaking in surprise. Playful and smothering and _everywhere_. After years of nothing, direct contact with the centre of the hive mind stole Levi’s breath away. He couldn’t remember their queen ever seeming this playful, forward in the thoughts that were pushed Levi’s way. Images, memories. Levi flushed when he recognised himself in the shared memory, stunned that his queen even remembered the last time they’d mated with such clarity. Amusement rolled through Levi’s head, the presence foreign but not. And such fondness that the raven was left floored.

Levi made the next portion of the journey much faster, an odd eagerness building within him. The weight of his clutch was growing, the eggs almost fully developed, and with that came the raven’s own breeding instincts. He needed to find a safe place to lay.

Coaxed home by teasing brushes of the queen’s consciousness, Levi stood at last on the soil of his home world after a final jump.

Levi staggered, beyond weary, overwhelmed by the familiar smells of home. The weight of the hive consciousness lay heavily over him, soothing rather than tiresome. All around Levi detected the buzz of workers communicating, a thrum of excitement in everyone’s minds. Their queen was awake. Their queen was active again. More than that, their queen was strong.

A greeting surged through Levi, warm and pleased, echoing in his head.

_Welcome home._

He lurched forward, exhausted but on a mission.

Through the fields Levi trudged, finding things both familiar and not. The soil was no longer entirely barren, little plants were returning to grow and spread thanks to the meticulous care of the workers. Some workers were out and about. They greeted Levi in their rush to get from place to place, always busy, and yet there was something knowing in their eyes. Something that made Levi’s gut clench. He could feel his body responding to the presence of the queen, nearby but underground. They wouldn’t risk leaving the safety of the hive itself until their civilisation had been rebuilt. It was not yet safe. If an invasion was to occur now, the queen would retreat deep into the catacombs of the planet, where even the strongest of enemies would be outmatched. No one knew the deep tunnels like their queen, who had carved many of the pathways with their own claws.

A great mound of rock jutted out of the ground, with large pockets of darkness littering its surface. One of many entrances to the underground.

Levi let his feet carry him forward, through one of the entrance tunnels and into the hive.

His eyes adjusted to the gloom inside, strips of organic matter winding through the passages, bioluminescent and pulsing with light. The presence in the hive was staggering. Even just walking through empty tunnels had Levi tense and alert, nostrils flaring to pull in air and search for threats. But the only scent down here was achingly familiar. It had Levi twitching, distracted. Aching between his legs, where his ovipositor throbbed with the need to unsheathe and feel around for a willing orifice to slither into.

_This way, Levi._

 Guided by the coaxing press of consciousness, Levi stumbled his way through the maze of tunnels. Gradually the organic matter grew more and more prominent. The queen had been awake enough to begin building foundations, a defensible place within which to make its nest.

Even with the obvious signs, stepping into an actual nest after so long had Levi staggering to a stop. He caught himself on a wall, feeling the pulse of sluggish flesh beneath his hand. The walls were living here. Aware and able to detect intruders. They knew Levi, recognised him as kin, and the whole place shook with the deep groan of welcome that the nest sounded for him.

A whisper of sound had Levi’s eyes darting up. He caught the last hints of movement, of a figure prowling through organic pillars and strips of bio-lights. The form was smaller than Levi was used to, for their queen had not taken to mating in quite some time. Before, during the war, Levi recalled fighting alongside a massive, fiendish beast that had been their queen’s warrior form. Back when they’d taken the battle above ground to drive the invaders away. And then, the deep slumber. The retreat below the earth to begin the long years of recovery.

In a sudden dart of movement that Levi’s weary eyes found hard to follow, the lithe form appeared again. Too quick to track after, but Levi knew what was happening. He heard the quiet, little trills, the soft singing to entice Levi further into the nest. A game of seduction, but Levi didn’t need any convincing.

He padded forward, claws sheathing to ensure that the nest knew he meant no harm, spines flattening in respect. Thick, armoured plates were shifting already but Levi didn’t uncover his genital slit yet, not wanting to seem forward or assuming. His queen may have any number of partners lined up already.

Only…the more Levi focused, the more he realised that his was the only other scent in the nest.

He jerked to a stop, confusion welling up in him.

Questions formed in his mind, pulling that same mix of amusement and fondness from the smothering consciousness that pressed back. Answering with nothing more than a knowing thrum.

Levi was the only soldier that had been called back to mate.

He forced himself to move forward, determined to find answers, only to stumble around the next corner and pull up short.

Lounging in a pile of organic bedding, Levi finally saw the figure that had been luring him. New skin, this body had barely seen any wear and tear. Smooth skin, long fingers tipped with the threat of claws. Thick horns lining the head from temple to nape, nestled in soft hair, and eyes that burned with recognition. It seemed so young, full of mirth and mischief as the face split into a brilliant smile.

Levi blinked and in the time it took for him to do so, the figure had moved. The raven managed not to startle when it was right in front of him, taller than Levi was, lithe and smiling with appraising eyes.

A low hum sounded from its chest, approval.

_It’s good to see you._

The queen did not make any effort to speak, not that Levi expected anything of the sort.

“Eren.” Levi greeted, hoping that he was still permitted to call the queen by his title.

His own voice came out a little rasping, for the raven did not often find cause to speak.

Hands, hot and eager, were already all over Levi even as he tried to come to grips with the situation.

“Why-?” He tried, finding himself tugged further into the heart of the nest, pulled towards the bedding as Eren trilled at him, hands appraising. “Why just me?”

Eren paused, his happy smile turning fond.

 _You were always my favourite, Levi. My strongest. My faithful._ _I’d so hoped that I’d be able to call on you once I woke._

Eren brushed lingering touches over Levi’s skin, hands dropping to grip the outlines of the raven’s pelvic armour. The plates flushed in response, shifting in preparation. All of the breath left Levi’s lungs at the next press of fingers, tracing along the seam of his newly exposed genital slit.

A hot mouth pressed against Levi’s, licking at thin lips that parted around the raven’s panting breaths. He’d forgotten what it was like to have a queen’s favour.

After all this time, Levi never would have guessed that Eren favoured him still.

_I’m ever so glad you made it, after so long._

Eren was purring as he let himself topple backwards into the bedding, sprawled and panting, eager eyes drinking in the sight of his chosen mate. A little, pitching call had Levi tumbling down after him. Eren didn’t let him gain his bearings, already kneading his fingertips into the tender skin around Levi’s slit to coax it open. Dazed as he was, Levi hardly needed any stimulation. The seam parted and his ovipositor slithered out with a rush of slick moisture, though Eren didn’t seem bothered by the mess. He cooed at the appendage, pleased when it reached towards him, curling about Eren’s wrist.

_Are you going to give me younglings, Levi? Lots of little ones? Hmm? You’re prepared for me, aren’t you?_

The words had a strangled sound forcing its way out of Levi’s throat. It morphed into a croon when Eren tilted his head, offering up the horns on the side of his head for Levi to choose from to bite.

He picked the closest one, teeth gripping firmly but not uncomfortably to keep Eren still. Not that Eren would have dreamed of disrupting Levi now that he had him there.

Eren lay pliant and still, purring louder at the pressure of Levi’s teeth against one of his largest horns, relaying the information that he was going to attempt penetration. It was a delicate process. The ovipositor was delicate, moisture oozing constantly from Levi’s slit to keep the organ wet. It reached out, flexing and feeling. Seeking. Eren’s body responded in kind, the brunet canting his hips and splaying his thighs wide to provide easy access. Between his legs, the wet heat of Eren’s breeding pouch enticed the ovipositor. The appendage oozed precum at the tip, open at the end in preparation to allow his eggs through into Eren’s waiting womb.

Success; Levi exhaled through his nose when he felt the tip of his ovipositor make it inside. Surrounded by welcoming warmth, the appendage let forth a rush of slippery slick before slithering further inside.

Beneath him, Eren let out encouraging chirps, keeping perfectly still while the raven eased inside.

Almost all the way inside, Levi encountered a ring of muscle, a barrier. It gave way to his touch, easing open to allow the questing tip to slip inside before settling around it.

It took several moments, but finally Levi was in to the hilt.

He released his bite gently, hearing Eren sigh his happiness beneath him. When Levi looked down, he found glassy teal eyes gazing up at him, languid and coquettish. With Levi safely inside, the brunet saw fit to move. He reached up, draping arms over Levi’s shoulders to pull the raven down, humming against thin lips and flicking out his tongue.

_Give them to me, Levi. Please. Let me have them, I’ve been waiting for so long._

The words filtered into Levi’s head amidst fond little licks, Eren’s tongue curling into his mouth.

Levi shivered, feeling things shifting inside him. His eggs moved steadily into position, the first beginning the slow slide down. The sensation was overwhelming, pressing delicate tissue open as the round shape moved down. As long as they paced themselves, it would feel almost overwhelmingly good. The process could be completed much quicker. If the queen was in any sort of danger, mating passed much faster thanks to the instinctual need to get out of the vulnerable state. It was often painful for the egg-laden male, though, to transfer their clutch too quickly. Levi shook as the first egg reached the end and passed from him into the waiting chamber inside Eren. The raven shuddered terribly, groaning into Eren’s mouth.

_Good, so good, Levi. Breathe for me now._

Between pulses of slick to ease the process and the slow slide of each egg easing into Eren, their mating passed hushed little moans. Levi trembled throughout most of it, in a daze of agonising pleasure.

His breeding instincts were steadily being satiated. Levi was dizzy at the knowledge that he was the only mate Eren would be taking, that he had so much of Eren’s favour to have earned that right. It left him moaning, exchanging smothering kisses with his queen. Licking into that soft mouth, uncaring of pointed teeth. Eren wouldn’t bite him. Not if his priority was obtaining future clutches from the raven.

As the final egg made the trip down Levi’s ovipositor, it was almost too much. The flesh was devastatingly sensitive, a little swollen. While Eren seemed to appreciate the slight increase in girth, it distressed Levi when the final egg seemed to stick.

He huffed, frustrated and overstimulated, but Eren detected the problem.

A warm hand coaxed Levi’s head to the side and those sharp teeth sank into the flesh of Levi’s throat. With a loud gasp, Levi felt a rush of slick flow up his length and push the final egg free of him, nestled into Eren’s body with the others. Finally, it was done. Eren released his bite, licking at the resulting wound in quiet apology while they went through the slow process of Levi retracting his ovipositor.

Eren kissed the raven hard to show his pleasure, distracting Levi from any lingering discomfort.

More than anything, Levi seemed relieved. His exhaustion was showing, Levi’s lids were heavy and his breathing was slowing, preparing to fall immediately to sleep as soon as they weren’t connected. With a wet pop, Levi slipped free.

It was done.

Levi panted his relief, feeling the sticky slide as his ovipositor returned to his genital pouch. If he were less tired, the raven would have considered cleaning up somewhere, though probably not this close to the nest lest he agitate his queen. But being Eren’s only mate brought certain duties. Levi leaned close, scenting the pliant figure that stretched beneath him and checking for any discomfort or dissatisfaction with his performance. Eren seemed perfectly content. He had what he wanted. Levi checked lower, finding the evidence of their mating in the slight distension of the brunet’s belly. The clutch was housed safe inside. They would remain there until Eren’s laying instincts took over and demanded that the queen transfer the young to a maturation pod or birthed them to hatch and be raised, whichever he desired.

Satisfied that Eren was sated and happy, Levi felt himself relax a little more. He still couldn’t quite believe that all the eggs nestled safe inside the lounging queen were his. All his. And quite a few of them, more than Levi usually made when called to mate. His body must have known, must have picked up on the signs and hints dropped by Eren that a larger clutch was required with the lack of other desirable mate candidates.

Just thinking about it brought a strange and fuzzy warmth to the raven’s chest.

Levi figured he was delirious. In sore need of sleep and sustenance, he turned to leave the nest and allow Eren some space to settle. There was no point in hanging about and irritating a queen right after mating.

Eren hummed his contentment and he stopped Levi before the raven could attempt to drag himself away. Questioning grey met approving teal, something warm and comforting passing through from the queen’s mind into Levi’s. Reassuring. Almost pleading.

_Stay and rest. You’ve earned your place in my nest, Levi._

Levi blinked stupidly at the smiling brunet, utterly floored by the request. An order, or an invitation? Probably both.

If Eren thought anything of Levi’s dumbfounded reaction, he made no mention of it. Eren seemed perfectly content. He knew the raven would make up his own mind; there was a choice in the matter…an offer…and Levi was welcome to refuse. But Levi hesitated, and they both knew that he would stay. The brunet got to preening, twisting to clean up the mess of excess fluid from their mating without pause or preamble.

Exhausted, Levi could only obey. He slinked closer, arranging himself comfortably next to his purring queen, and let his eyes fall shut.

After spending so long on his own, far from home, it was strange to be nestled up close with another of his kin. Especially considering which kin. How important the creature next to him was. Levi did not know if any of the other queens on the planet were this well recovered, or if Eren was especially resilient. But he would do his best to keep Eren safe.

No one would ever force his queen into a recovery like that again, Levi vowed it.

Still, he didn’t feel particularly useful now. More like he was taking up space in Eren’s nest, a lump of flesh in bedding that Eren could have had for himself. The brunet didn’t seem to mind, or even to notice, as he continued to preen – long tongue flicking out to reach tricky places. Limbs were strewn over Levi at random as Eren twisted about. He wanted to make sure that every last place was clean, something that Levi himself had helped to teach to Eren when the queen was but a spawn. So small and helpless back then, but so strong now.

The planet’s very own warrior. Their saviour.

Levi felt out of place. His job was done for now and it seemed strange that Eren would want to keep him near. Perhaps it was a comfort thing? Eren had gone a long time without contact with his soldiers, his sleeping consciousness only having worker minds nearby. Maybe having Levi near was soothing? Unless Eren planned to have Levi’s personal assistance during the incubation period? Or perhaps he wanted to secure his loyalty so that the raven would be a faithful bodyguard when Eren’s laying instincts arrived after gestation? It all seemed rather pointless to Levi. Even in his current state, tired and out of his mind with the need to rest, Levi would have stood against any foe to keep his queen safe. To keep Eren safe, and the clutch that was now nestled safely inside him.

 _Stop thinking_ , Eren’s thoughts brushed against Levi’s, soothing his curiosity, _go to sleep, little soldier. Let me guard you for once._

It was a shocking plea, a compromise that Levi accepted for a lack of knowing how to process it. His queen would protect him, no matter how their roles should have dictated otherwise. The equality in that rocked Levi to his core. Equals. Give and take. Come home, give up your prize; stay with me, I’ll protect you.

Levi relaxed, allowing himself to let his guard down. No more monitoring the surroundings. No more scenting the air for threats, nose trying to work through the overwhelming comfort of the nest.

Just sleep and trust. The belief that Eren would still be right there watching over him when Levi woke again.

Even as unconsciousness claimed him, Levi was aware of Eren’s steady presence nest to him.

When he woke up many hours later, blinking and disoriented, Eren was still by his side.

 

 


	2. LORE - for those who were curious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a lore update for now, since I finally finished writing up all the basics I could think of. I'm very attached to this AU because SPACE and ALIENS but I don't want to get bogged down turning it into a whole huge fic so I'm chucking all the lore I could think of currently up here for anyone who is/was confused or curious. And then I'll see what other plot stuff I actually want to cover in proper chapters.

 

Queens:

Origins:

  * Queens evolved in the early days of their species’ emergence as a dominant form of life on their home planet.
  * They were the protectors of their people, growing stronger with every fight one, every new piece of territory claimed.
  * Queens adapted to be the sole breeders of their race, able to boost numbers with rapid gestation and the ability to care for unhatched young outside of the body in living incubator chambers. This allowed Queens to take on any number of mates to achieve a mixed gene pool, allowing for diversity in the hatchlings and more complex genetic lines.



Distinguishing Features:

  * A series of horns on either side of the head, ranging from anywhere between 2 – 10. The largest pair sit at the front, near the temples, moving back in descending height order. The smallest in a set of 10 would rest at the back of the head where the neck meets the skull.
  * Skin that hardens under hostile contact – a defensive adaption.
  * Slit between the legs that is the entrance to the breeding pouch, usually seal tight unless the Queen is looking to mate. This is a quality that only the Queens have nowadays, as they are the only ones of their species that reproduce sexually. See Hatchlings/Spawn/Reproduction for more info.



Abilities:

  * Spontaneous creation of sentient, organic substances.
  * Total control of the hive/nest.
  * Influence over the hive consciousness.
  * More than the base form/body.
  * World-hopping – a form of teleportation that allows travel between planets. Requires more energy/recovery time over longer distances. Queens usually only travel this way if their territory spans more than one planet.



Forms:

  * Breeder/Mating form: the smallest form a Queen has, similar to Workers and Soldiers. In this form, Queens can more easily blend in with their own kind, except for the presence of their horns which remain in all of a Queen’s forms.
  * Defensive form: ranges from 2 – 3 metres in height. Larger than its usual form, this is usually enough to intimidate lone invaders or intruders into the nest. Armed with deadly spines and impossible speed, a Queen is easily able to defend its nest in this form alone even against many foes, without needing to call on its Soldiers for assistance.
  * Warrior form: the largest of all a Queen’s forms, this is only called upon to intimidate intruders or participate in battles. Warrior forms can range anywhere between 12 – 30 metres in height and include massive jaws, detachable spines, and hooked claws. The skin of a Queen’s Warrior form is all but impenetrable, which is what makes them such a formidable opponent on the battlefield. They are fiercely protective, destructive of anything that is harmful towards their kin, and can fight for weeks on end without need for rest or food. The cost of this is that the Queen is severely weakened after leaving their Warrior form and usually needs to recover for several days under careful guard. A Queen will usually fight close to its nest because of this, needing a safe location to retreat to should they need to return to a lesser form.



Pre-War Times:

  * Before the invasion, there were many Queens. Hundreds of them, all over the planet. They respected one another, but stuck to their own territories mostly.
  * If for some reason a fight broke out between clans, it was the responsibility of the Queens to handle the disputes. Usually through single combat. The victor ate their opponent and took control of the newly conquered territory, although just because a new Queen was in charge of an area did not mean that they had the immediate loyalty of the population.
  * If a Queen died or was killed but its clan remained loyal to the area and did not accept a new Queen, a Queen may emerge from the clan itself – either a Soldier or a Worker may undergo drastic changes over the course of several weeks to emerge as a new, young Queen. Generally, this occurs in favoured kin, ie. a mate candidate of the previous Queen, the strongest Soldier, the most faithful, a Worker who helped tend to or maintain the nest or young, etc...



Post War Times:

  * The Queens retreated to nests or old hives of previously deceased Queens to take refuge and enter a deep slumber. Their surviving Soldiers and Workers would swarm instinctually towards the Queen’s resting location and immediately begin gathering food and resources to replenish the Queen’s energies. After entering their Warrior forms so many times and so frequently in order to drive off the invaders, the Queens were exhausted.
  * Some did not make it into slumber in time. Others simply did not wake again, too drained to even begin their recovery process.
  * The fallen Queens were consumed by their clan in the hopes that a new Queen would emerge quickly and take charge.
  * For the first time ever, no new Queens were emerging to replace those that were lost. The survivors were too few, those who had lost their Queens knowing instinctively that they needed to provide help to the clans whose Queens had survived and needed aid.
  * Only a handful of Queens remained after the war was over.



 

 

Soldiers:

Distinguishing Features:

  * Horns – no more than 2, an offensive feature.
  * Armoured plating, tough bone that rests over tender areas.
  * Claws, able to be sheathed. Offensive feature, used most commonly in hunting and battle.
  * Generally muscular build, as it is the job of the Soldiers to roam into hostile regions for scouting territory and collecting rare resources, or fighting on the fronts during battles.
  * Spines in various locations along the body, usually the arms and legs though occasionally the ears or head – a defensive feature. Spines will raise and flex outwards when a Soldier feels threatened or is displaying purposefully aggressive behaviour, though they will flatten automatically in the presence of a Queen to show respect and trust.



Abilities:

  * Extreme endurance.
  * Long-lasting energy reserves.
  * World-hopping – a form of teleportation that allows travel between planets. Requires more energy/recovery time over longer distances.



Forms:

  * Soldiers are single-form creatures.



Pre-War Times:

  * Soldiers would travel between territories the most, if only to extend the mental link between hives. As Queens became fewer and fewer, their hive consciousness grew stronger as they struggled to communicate across the planet.
  * Soldiers are the most common source of mate candidates, as they are strong and fiercely loyal, whilst also being well-suited to guarding a Queen’s nest and/or brood.
  * Some Soldiers, usually those with a Queen’s favour, were allowed to enter the nest and interact with spawn and hatchlings to teach the youngsters behaviours and social skills.



Post War Times:

  * Any and all previous tasks and duties were abandoned in favour of helping the Queens recover. This includes any breeding instincts. Previous mate candidates no longer produced clutches, taking on the roles of hunter/gatherer like the Workers in order to collect resources to replenish their Queen’s energy and help with healing.
  * Limited survivors, the soldiers travelled far throughout the galaxies in order to scout for any approaching threats that could endangers the recovering Queens.
  * Resources from planets farther out could be more easily collected by Soldiers who require less sustenance than Workers to survive.
  * Communication amongst the hive consciousness became stronger than ever thanks to the Soldiers spreading out away from the home world. Despite this, news remained discouraging – updates on the conditions of the Queens, the recovering planet, society, and slow progress. Still, it was an advancement of their race.



 

 

Workers:

Distinguishing Features:

  * Can range from quite large to quite small. The most varying body size of all their species.
  * Smaller spines than Soldiers.
  * Dappled skin for camouflage as they spend the majority of their time above ground unless assisting a Queen in tending to the nest.



Abilities:

  * World-hopping – a form of teleportation that allows travel between planets. Requires more energy/recovery time over longer distances. Cannot travel as far as Soldiers or Queens.
  * Spontaneous creation of sentient, organic substances.
  * Terraforming/planetary care.



Forms:

  * Workers are single-form creatures.



Pre-War Times:

  * Workers helped to build/tend to nests, tended to farmland, foraged, and assisted in nurturing youngsters.
  * Workers tended to stick to their Queen’s territory.



Post War Times:

  * More travel, wandering to nearby planets to begin harvesting resources.
  * Workers became slightly more aggressive, more likely to strike out and fight threats rather than attempt to simply avoid confrontation. Slain threats and enemies were just as good a source of sustenance for their Queen as anything.
  * Building/rebuilding/maintaining the main hive of their Queen became a priority, since the slumbering Queens were unable to tend to their hives themselves during recovery.
  * Planetary repair efforts. Replenishing the earth, spreading plant life, nurturing native fauna.
  * Monitoring the conditions of the Queens.



 

 

Young/Hatchlings/Spawn:

Distinguishing Features:

  * Hatchlings: recently hatched offspring. They are small (able to be cradled in the palm of a hand), blind, and pale-skinned.
  * Spawn: offspring that are laid ahead of schedule into a maturation pod (an organic, living incubator made by the Queen) in order to free up the Queen to induce mating drive again and entice a new clutch from one of its loyal males. This is a common practice in efforts to boost the population.
  * Young: any offspring that haven’t hatched within a couple of weeks.



Abilities:

  * All offspring learn to communicate with the hive mind before they learn any form of verbal language. The Queen monitors its offspring constantly, picking up on their first flickering thoughts and beginning to teach even before their clutch has hatched.
  * Able to blend in with their surroundings, which is the organic matter of the nest/hive for the first months of their lives. This ability fades as offspring mature and gain their status of Worker, Soldier, or Queen.



Forms:

  * Offspring have no additional forms. They are palm-sized when they hatch, growing rapidly over the first few months of their lives until they take more humanoid forms and begin to develop statuses.



Pre-War Times:

  * Offspring were raised within the community, as highly social creatures actively engaging with the hive mind.



Post War Times:

  * No offspring were born thanks to the dormant Queens and recovery efforts of the dwindling race.
  * Eren is the first Queen to awaken, thus he will be the first to begin nurturing again. In the new circumstances, Eren will be very wary of threats and will likely keep his offspring confined to the safety of the nest until they’re able to defend themselves, which is where Levi will most certainly come in. Levi will help to keep the little ones safe and inside the main hive, whilst also teaching combative techniques to the offspring so that they will not be defenceless should another attack come to their world.



 

 

Communication:

Individual Consciousness:

  * Each member of the species is a self-aware creature that can think for itself. They’re all individual in this way, capable of their own thoughts, having their own personalities.



Hive Consciousness:

  * A collective consciousness that everyone can tap into in order to communicate over long-distances.
  * The Queen maintains the hive consciousness and has influence over it, allowing various tasks to be delegated, or strategy/plans to be deployed in times of war. This also makes it easier for the Queen to call on its current or desired mate candidates when breeding instincts take hold.



Verbal:

  * They have their own verbal language, mostly spoken between the Workers and Warriors.
  * Queens are fluent in the verbal dialect, but they rarely speak since communication with the hive mind is far more accurate a way to deliver emotions and meaning in one fell swoop. It’s impossible to misunderstand a direct message via the hive mind. Nothing is filtered through. Queens do not lie, they have no reason to. This is why they command such loyalty.



 

 

Mating/Breeding Instincts:

In times of peace, Queens have a more regular mating cycle. Their breeding instincts kick in every few months, in which they call upon their desired mate candidates to visit the main hive/nest and deliver their clutches for gestation/incubation.

If the population is unstable or dwindling, a Queen’s breeding instincts go into overdrive. Mating drive is unpredictable in this state. A Queen is more likely to transfer their received clutches to a maturation pod in this case so as to be able to receive new clutches from their mate candidates to boost the population. Queens need more care and resources during this time.

 

 

Mate Candidates:

Either a Worker or a Soldier can be a worthy mate candidate, if they are strong and reliable. A Queen will usually desire several mate candidates in order to maintain a complex gene pool, and therefore will look for mates amongst both its Soldiers and Workers. If a Queen has a resident champion (a Soldier that has proven themselves worthy and loyal many times over) then they will almost certainly call that champion to be one of their primary mates.

Allure:

  * The telepathic call a Queen puts out to its desired mate candidates to come home to the nest and present their clutches.



Courtship:

  * When a Queen finds someone whom they would like to become a mate candidate, they enter into a brief state of courtship to attempt to entice the new individual back to their nest.
  * This is a choice and the individual is free to refuse the responsibility. Being a mate candidate means helping to care for the Queen more intimately, nurturing and educating the offspring, and guarding the nest if required to do so.
  * Courtship itself involves regular visits from the Queen, when they are out of the hive and above ground, out and about. The Queen will actively seek out the individual/s that they desire to have as mate candidates and engage in playful/flirtatious behaviour. If the courtship is unsuccessful, the Queen will cease its pursuit of the individual and return their focus elsewhere. If the courtship is successful, the individual being courted will wander back to the main hive and consummate their mate candidacy.



 

 

Hives:

Origins:

  * Hives are carved into the earth, either from scratch or through pre-existing cave systems, and filled with the organic matter that a Queen creates to defend their nest.
  * The main hive is where the resident Queen resides.
  * Queens have been known to create more than one hive if they have particularly large territories or wish to provide shelter/defensible positions for their Workers/Soldiers.
  * Most hives exist underground, but in more peaceful times they could be built aboveground too. After the constant danger of the wars, Queens took to building their hives completely underground where their locations were less obvious.



Purpose:

  * Hives provide a place of refuge for Queens to retreat to in times of danger, but also act as a refuge to Workers and Soldiers as well if the danger is very great. Hives are an enormous network of tunnels and caverns, twisting and winding endless pathways below the surface. With the Queen’s guidance, no one who is welcome there will get lost.
  * When offspring are around, a hive is the safest place for them. The hive is most active when youngsters are about, as Workers are constantly bringing in sustenance for both the Queen and the little ones and Soldiers acting as guards often interact with the curious hatchlings.



Maintenance:

  * The Queen takes care of most of the building, repairs, and expansion of the hive. They are able to produce the organic matter that makes up their hive/nest with ease.
  * Workers are also able to produce the materials that the hive’s defences/nest is made up of, and thus are usually present to help with the initial construction of a new hive.
  * Soldiers do not possess the ability to build/maintain hives.



 

 

Planet/Home World:

Topside:

  * A mix of mountainous and hilly terrain, frequent lakes, a lot of shrubbery, sparse jungle areas that were mostly decimated during the wars. When burned down, the trees burst into thousands of seeds that lie dormant until conditions improve. Under the care of the Workers, many saplings have begun to grow again and the jungles are slowly returning.



Underground:

  * Earth and rock, an excellent place for the Queens to carve their tunnels and build their hives, at the centre of which there is usually a nesting site. This is where mating takes place and generally where eggs are laid after incubation to be hatched.
  * Various underground lakes exists and are often accessible via hives, as they provide both water and an escape route for Queens/residents of the hive should it fall under attack.
  * Burrowing fauna live beneath the surface, often great worms or fanged tunnelling beasts. Even these creatures, dangerous as they can be, know better than to invade a hive. A hungry Queen will not hesitate to eat its prey alive. Dormant hives are often invaded by underground fauna, though it is easy enough to clear them out by reintroducing a Queen to the area. The fear of such a predator is a powerful thing.



 

 

The Enemy:

The enemy has no name, barely a description. Formless creatures of flame and pulsing flesh with an insatiable hunger, they arrived with one goal in mind: to consume. These creatures will eat anything that moves, setting their surrounds ablaze from time to time. They are volatile. They cannot be reasoned with.

They possess no eyes, wandering blindly towards the nearest scent of food. They do not sleep, though if they do not continue to eat regularly they begin to weaken and perish. Even a weakened enemy is dangerous.

If the enemy feels any pain, they do not show it. For creatures that are almost constantly screaming, their very existence might as well be agony. This trait makes them terrifying but easy to keep track of.

They do not talk, they do not think. Eating is all these creatures know.

 

 

The War:

After the enemy arrived on home world and began decimating whole clans, the population knew it would need to drive this force away. Negotiating was not an option with creatures that were not even sentient enough to process speech or thought. The craft the enemy arrived in was clearly not their own – more likely a vessel that they had previously invaded that had the misfortune to crash land on home world. And thus the plague of devourers began.

Some of them could only manage to amble about, sluggish but terrifyingly strong. Persistent, too. Others could run, though it was not at all coordinated. A mad rush of flailing limbs protruding from their constantly changing bodies, shifting and bulbous.

Without the heat of the sun, the enemy became sluggish and useless within minutes. For this reason, much of the population retreated to the underground safety of the hives where the sun could not reach. During both night and day, the hives were lit with biolights. But the sun itself could not enter very far into the tunnels. In there, they were at least somewhat safe. Within the hives, the enemy could be outrun, outwitted, outmatched. And so the battlefront reached their very homes.

The only way to defeat the enemy was to remove their heads from their bodies. If they could not consume, then their bodies would perish and they would cease to exist. It was a barbaric way to kill, but necessary.

Driving back the enemy took a terrible toll. Years of fighting, right on their doorstep most of the time. Luring enemies into hives, disorienting them, then brutal decapitation.

To ensure peace and survival, the enemy had to be entirely wiped out. Destroyed, and the genocide almost went two ways. But the war was won, with heavy costs to the survivors. Only a handful of Queens remained. Clusters of frightened, leaderless Workers and Soldiers banded together to save the Queens that had stuck by their sides, fought with them, provided shelter and refuge.

Bit by bit, they rebuilt.

Then, finally, after years of recovery efforts...one Queen woke from its slumber.

 

 

_We've got a lot of work to do, my dears._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning a chapter or two to continue on from where the first left off, incubation, raising the hatchlings and whatnot. Short and sweet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actual chpt 2, at least story-wise.
> 
> Also hey there, I'm back. How are you??

 

A silent shadow crept about through the winding passageways of the main hive, a watchful wraith passing unseen through the gloom. But the hive did not raise its defences, nor did it alert the slumbering queen of any intruder. This shadow was known, a familiar and trusted presence.

It crept into the very heart of the hive, into the nest itself.

And there, nestled in organic bedding and sleeping soundly, lay Eren. He did not stir at the presence that came to settle nearby, knowing even as he dreamed whose eyes were on him.

Levi had always been his most deadly shadow. All but invisible when he wanted to be; there was no better soldier to watch over the hive, or the newly gravid queen that resided within. Levi took to his new duty with the upmost seriousness. The raven had taken to slinking about, monitoring the hive’s maintenance progress and supervising the workers that came to supply Eren with sustenance or make repairs.

No one entered the nest without Levi’s supervision, much to Eren’s amusement.

He had chosen his nestmate well. Eren was more than capable of defending himself, especially down in the heart of the hive, and of course Levi knew this. But things had changed since the last of the fighting. With few queens to depend on, those that remained were precious.

And thus far…Eren was the only one that had woken. The gravity of that knowledge weighed heavily on all clans, planetwide.

Though the responsibility landed heaviest on Eren’s shoulders. He was the first sign that things could be okay for the dwindling species – an initial ember of hope that would either burst into brilliant flames or be snuffed out. If he failed them, it would be devastating.

So Eren allowed his fretting colony to smother him. Food was brought to him faster than the brunet could eat it and he tried not to become too grouchy at the coddling. When Eren refused to eat anything more, that was usually when Levi would take over. As a soldier and Eren’s chosen mate candidate, the raven was able to consume food in the place of his queen. The nutrients were collected in the form of false eggs – victus supplements: a form of concentrated nutrients pulled from various food sources. Jelly-like and smaller than an actual egg, these could be fed to the queens or deposited directly into the womb for a growing clutch to have instant access to. The method of delivery depended on who was in greater need of sustenance. If the queen needed a boost to aid recovery, they would be fed the supplements, even directly from their favoured soldier’s mouth in some cases. If a clutch was the intended recipient, then the method was quite similar to mating. The false eggs would dissolve and provide nourishment for the growing clutch, and the queen would not have to worry about eating so much that day.

Levi was not surprised to find that Eren called on him often for this process.

He indulged the pouting queen. Those eyes, big and green and imploring, could make Levi do just about anything. Faux-sex was far from a chore. Not to mention that Eren enjoyed that method of consumption considerably more than being barked at to eat.

It was a good way to bond, to allow Eren the luxury of having another of his kin so close after the long and lonely sleep to recovery. Eren liked having Levi close most of the time, but he did so love his pleasure. With the raven as his sole mate candidate, Levi found himself increasingly busy preparing frequent victus for his queen, playing bodyguard and lover to the increasingly feisty brunet. Eren had yet to choose another of their kin to join the nest. Levi was beginning to doubt that Eren intended to ever choose another, such was his satisfaction. The reasoning was clear; Eren had found himself a trustworthy mate, loyal to a fault, stronger than any other of his clan. Their offspring would be formidable. Even so…it was a lot to take in, being the sole contributor to the continuation of their clan. The burden of such a staggering responsibility was not lost on Levi and he was more surprised every day that the whimsical song of Eren’s consciousness called him back to the nest.

It was a call that Levi always answered.

 

 

Eren was asleep more often than not in the first weeks after exiting his long slumber. Recovered or not, diving right into breeding efforts took a toll on Eren’s body that kept the brunet confined to the hive, to the very core. Eren would provide for the clutch within him at any cost, even at the detriment of his own health. It was that important to him, a biological need to rebuild their diminished people.

But Eren had a greater responsibility to his surviving clan. He himself needed to survive _for_ them.

So the long struggle began. To avoid becoming ill or weakened, Eren slept often. Food was brought to him near-constantly so that Eren’s body wouldn’t have to start drawing nourishment from the queen itself, and Levi made sure to keep a close eye on the brunet. Conserving strength had become a priority, especially since Eren’s immediate plans were focused on re-establishing a stable territory. Eren’s soldiers had returned home, spreading out across the planet to monitor the old borders of Eren’s land, and the queen itself had taken immediately to incubating a clutch.

Already Eren was showing signs of developing brooding instincts. More than ever, Eren lurked about the nest. He was constantly caught up rearranging the bedding, expanding the mound of organic bedding he spent most of his time in, or wailing his distress at the untidy state of things until Levi came to soothe him.

Levi observed the dozing brunet now, caught up in another of his frequent naps. After so many years spent unconscious and healing, Levi was stunned that Eren could bounce back so well.

Perhaps sensing Levi’s scrutiny, Eren’s sleeping form shifted. A slow stretch, limbs unfurling and tensing before the brunet turned liquid and lazy. Eren rolled from his side to his back. Slowly, teal eyes peeled open and they knew where to find Levi in an instant. Eren greeted the hovering raven with a smile and the sleepy flurry of warm, wordless thoughts, reaching out and summoning Levi over with a curl of long fingers. Eren’s claws were present, but that didn’t deter the raven.

Levi was pulled down the moment Eren could reach him. The prick of claws against his skin was barely a bother; Eren often didn’t remember to check that sort of thing when he was barely awake and groggy. Happy, though. Eren purred against Levi’s mouth, just holding on tight and breathing in his presence.

He felt different, belly a little swollen from the expanding eggs inside him. The soft, elastic shells were stretched with the growing offspring inside, probably as far as they would stretch before Eren was forced to lay. At that point, Eren would expel his clutch and guard them. Once the shells had hardened, the offspring inside would attempt to break free. And then the first little ones to be born in years would be welcomed into the clan. Levi had been keeping his emotions under control, not wanting to place too much pressure on Eren to produce a viable clutch on his first try…but under the careful control Levi was fit to burst with eagerness. He felt the excitement, the anticipation, all of it buzzing through the hive consciousness. Everyone was waiting to know if their queen truly was recovered enough to begin repopulating their clan.

Even Eren had his doubts.

It didn’t stop Eren from thrumming with his own eagerness.

He called Levi to lie with him frequently, uneasy without the warmth of his chosen nestmate nearby. Having company brought Eren comfort. Anything to keep the brunet from stressing was worth doing, be it grooming sessions or long naps or even Levi’s quiet singing. Eren liked that. Sometimes he sang back in response. At times Levi would direct his gentle songs at Eren’s belly, singing to the growing little ones and listening intently for any responding clicks.

Nothing so far.

They tried not to be discouraged.

 

 

Days passed and finally Levi heard Eren’s sharp call. Verbal this time, along with the urgent request for the raven to return to the nest that echoed in Levi’s head. He’d been scouting through the tunnels, communicating with the workers doing repairs on the outermost passageways of the main hive. Levi jerked back around towards the centre, darting off without hesitation.

The first thrills of excitement began surging through the hive consciousness, spreading throughout the community.

Eren’s first clutch was coming.

By the time Levi arrived, bursting into the nest amidst pulsing bio-lights, Eren was curled away at the very back of his bedding. He had burrowed beneath several strips of the fleshy stuff, breathing hard.

Levi trilled a sharp call, alerting Eren of his presence. A long whine answered him.

Laying was unpleasant, the eggs larger now than when they had been deposited for incubation. Creeping closer, Levi eased over the majority of the bedding to where Eren was huddled away and he squeezed down beside the panting brunet. Eren didn’t protest, leaning against the raven without a word, pushing both thanks and pleas into Levi’s head. Levi slithered hands over Eren’s skin, feeling the warmer than usual temperature. Palm flat over Eren’s belly, Levi could feel the rhythmic tensing of muscle – the eggs were shifting into place to leave the queen’s body. It was probably too late to move Eren to a better laying site. This little nook was the place Eren had felt safest, clearly, and Levi doubted that he could have persuaded Eren to budge.

The brunet nestled back against Levi, a hand scrabbling for purchase. Eren had a startling grip on one of Levi’s horns before the raven could so much as blink, stilling at the sudden pressure there. Eren bared his teeth at nothing, eyes shut tight, and pushed.

A snarl made its way out of Eren’s throat, breaking off into an abrupt whine.

There was a quiet, slick sound. Eren whimpered his relief and a glance down the brunet’s body had Levi’s eyes settling on the first egg, pale and shining under the bio-lights.

“Good,” Levi found his voice, pressing praise through his thoughts towards Eren, “very good, keep pushing now.”

Eren growled at him, but the noise was more frustration than it was a threat. He shifted and Levi settled a hand over the queen’s stomach, a barely-there contact so as not to cause any discomfort. He could feel Eren tense up, pushing hard, and another egg slipped free.

“That’s it, Eren.”

There was a lot of snarling and Levi wasn’t sure if Eren appreciated his words or not, but the queen did not twist to bite him or chase him off. That at least was a good sign. Eren never once let go of Levi’s horn, hanging on like the curved bone was a lifeline.

The eggs came one by one, only ever a couple of minutes apart. By the end, Eren’s snarls had turned to whimpers and he took long moments catching his breath, head tipped back to whine against Levi’s jaw. Tender inside and sore outside, it was a miracle to feel relief rushing through the hive consciousness from Eren to all the others, Levi included.

Laying was over.

Tired as he was, Eren’s first instinct was to curl up around the little pile of eggs. Their shells were turning murky already, losing their transparency as the air turned the surfaces tough. Weary pleas fluttered in Levi’s head, green eyes low-lidded and sleepy.

Levi cleaned Eren up, careful of sore spots. Only once did Eren protest, keeping a stern hold on one of the raven’s horns throughout the remainder of the bath.

Mostly, Eren was happy.

The hive consciousness was full of his bursting joy, like a tangible thing blanketing all other minds under his influence. Eren pulled Levi close when the raven was finished, never once loosening his grip as he tugged Levi up to see the clutch – their first victory in this new life. Eren’s voice rose up in quiet song, a soft melody meant for his little ones, as he waited for the shells to finish hardening. Soon after, the young inside should begin hatching.

Only…Levi noticed that he could not hear anything within the shells. No tiny voices squeaking for answers. No movement.

Levi felt the exact moment that Eren realised that, too.

The grip Eren had on him tightened uncomfortably, though Levi didn’t dare protest. He didn’t dare to even breathe.

A whimper, airy and disbelieving, crept free of Eren’s throat.

The beginnings of desperation set in and Eren leaned closer, nosing the silent eggs with another lost sound. Levi could have sworn he felt a fracture sever his heart in two.

Silence reigned.

Then, finally…the first chirps.

It was the movement that finally seemed to stir a response, as a tiny voice broke the agonised silence. Levi took in a heaving breath, all but shaking with relief. Beside him, Eren didn’t make a sound. He seemed frozen, utterly still when Levi risked a glance. Eren could only stare at the little pile of now-white spheres, stunned into silence while his mind raced with relief and abundant happiness.

His little ones were alive, alive and talking.

They were confused.

Levi could hear the anxious little squeaks calling out for their mother, startled into consciousness by the sudden change of temperature. Eren seemed beyond responding verbally, but he pressed gentle comfort through to the new and tiny minds that reached out for answers. Gathering the clutch up, Eren tucked them all close to his body. He looked to Levi finally, eyes wet with tears that overflowed.

Eren’s first responding clicks were so overwhelmingly fond that Levi felt gooey inside. Happy on Eren’s behalf, filled with the responding joy of all the survivors of their clan, and filled with his own quiet elation.

_Their_ little ones were alive.

It took a moment to register that Eren was telling the clutch about him. Levi heard his name, blinking quickly.

He met Eren’s eyes, tearful and happy.

_Say hello, Levi._

The clutch had fallen silent, waiting, and Levi managed to click a greeting. Words would not make sense to the unhatched brood yet, but they understood these sounds in an instant. Tiny squeaks sounded in answer, talking to Levi, questioning Eren about the new voice.

Eren’s smile was brighter than the sun as he glanced down at the eggs nestled safely against his side.

_Father_ , Eren explained, _that’s your daddy. My good soldier. He’ll protect you, keep you safe. Keep us all safe._

That was the truth of it, even more so after that last scare. Levi had seen now what the repercussions of losing a youngster would do to Eren and that reality could never be allowed to exist. Levi _would_ keep them safe. All of them. Every last little life that he and Eren made, until he wasn’t around to protect them any longer.

Failure was not an option.

Eren’s young would survive.

Eren’s empire would rise anew from the ashes of their old world.

Together, Levi knew that a pair of survivors like himself and Eren were the best candidates for the future that was being paved piece by fragile piece.

_My good, good soldier._

Eren’s thoughts brushed Levi’s mind, aware as ever of what was going on inside the raven’s head. Levi’s eyes flickered over, caught in a teal gaze that was so _knowing_. Eren read Levi’s fearsome devotion in the snippets of wordless thoughts and he looked so incredibly content.

The scrutiny had Levi wanting to look away, but he held that smouldering gaze instead.

“What is it?” Levi asked, finding his own voice thick with emotion.

Eren’s face broke into a smile, a low and warbling sound vibrating in his chest.

Brow raising, Levi’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “Are you laughing at me?”

Eren did seem amused, though his eyes shone with fondness and he leaned over to nuzzle the raven’s jaw. There was a slow brush against Levi’s mind. Gentle, reverent, and the quiet words in Levi’s head seemed deafening when he registered their meaning.

_I chose right._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chpt will probs focus on raising the little ones, progress of the colony, and possibly Eren's endgame plan. Bub has big schemes to save his home world.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as much on the little ones as I'd planned, but lots of past content for Eren and Levi, how they met, and how they got from then to now.

 

Levi wasn’t in the immediate vicinity when Eren’s first clutch hatched, but he was immediately aware of it.

A burst of happiness swam through the hive mind, surging from Eren out to all the others. His little ones were leaving their shells. They were entering the world.

Which meant Levi was late.

He’d been out patrolling the borders of Eren’s old territory at the queen’s request, looking for any signs of activity from the other surviving clans. It was only a few short jumps with the handy aid of teleportation, and Levi had been monitoring the border for several hours, just wandering along the miles and miles of perimeter, when he felt the shift in Eren’s mood.

Eren had been so excited waiting for the shells of his newly laid clutch to toughen. Once the shells were hard, the hatching would begin. When the newlings inside could no longer sense much light, they knew that it was time to start breaking out.

It was normally a quick process. The young inside were eager to emerge, to greet their mother and any other parents that remained. First contact with the world outside their shells was cold, shocking, and then the warm nuzzling of the queen that had carried them. The little ones would spend a few days sticking close to their mother, until their body temperatures were stable, and they could begin to wander, explore, and pester anyone who entered the nest.

This was something that had been sorely missed by workers and soldiers alike during the great sleep of their queens. There had been no little ones to greet, to teach and play with. It had been deeply saddening. Having hatchlings around was often chaos, but a welcome chaos.

The young were born small, usually to make for easier birthing, and they only took on a humanoid shape as they grew. When hatchlings first emerged, they were small and serpentine with winding tails and forelegs for gripping their mother or current caretaker. They remained this way for the first week or so of their lives, though they grew quite rapidly. After a week, their back legs began to grow in. Then eventually their tails would be shed, and the young would grow into their adult forms over the course of several months. During those months of growth, it usually became fairly obvious which status the young would take – worker, or soldier. Those with stronger builds or obvious combative skill became soldiers and would enter training. Others would become workers and be free to wander their queen’s territory, maintaining the land, tending to farms, gathering food, as well as tending to the resident queen and its hive/s. And sometimes, very rarely, a youngster would grow up and take on characteristics of neither of those statuses.

Those rare few either ended up dead, or they became new queens.

Young queens and new queens often found themselves tested, having to prove their strength and ability many times over before they would gain anyone’s loyalty. If a queen could not prove itself, it was quickly picked off. They had to earn the respect of their kin, and therefore the right to lead and protect them. In this way, only the strongest queen candidates survived.

But with no new young in years, there had been no new queens, either.

Now, finally, there were babies to care for again, and it had the entire community in joyous chaos. The responding excitement of Eren’s clan was bright in Levi’s mind, a mess of joyful thoughts that he didn’t bother sifting through to make sense of it all. He didn’t have to, for the same joy burst in his chest.

Levi turned for home, making the first jump back. His own energies swallowed him up, spitting the raven out closer to home. Just a few more leaps across the land and he would be back at the hive.

The hive was bustling with activity by the time Levi returned. He could sense the workers rushing through the inner tunnels, no doubt bringing food to Eren and trying to meet the new hatchlings. Levi could sense their new and tiny minds in the mess of shared consciousness. They were confused, a little thrown by all the noise that welcomed them, but there was no fear. These were their people. This was their home. The first moments of existence were always startling, loud, and busy.

Through the happy chatter, Levi felt a questioning brush from Eren.

A query – he was missing one of his hatchlings.

There was no anguish to the thought, not even worry. Eren knew how many to expect, for all of his eggs had hatched, but in the pleasant chaos of greeting his new hatchlings one seemed to have crawled off.

Levi felt a smile tug at his lips, shaking his head.

It seemed very familiar to him. In his mind, it could have very well have been yesterday that he’d stumbled upon a different wandering youngster, newly hatched and already full of attitude. That hatchling had been Eren, and even then he’d been bossing Levi around. Tiny and filled with spirit. Even in his first minutes out of the shell, Eren had been a creature that Levi would have followed off the edge of their world. Levi had been younger then, in the service of a different queen, but even then he’d felt that tiny shift. The slightest change that meant absolutely everything. In that moment, he’d become Eren’s.

Levi hadn’t been much of anything back then, not a mate candidate or anyone important. Just a strong soldier. Good enough to get him promoted to caretaker when the queen of the time had been busy with breeding.

It was immediately clear which youngster Levi would be mentoring. He recognised the little one that was Eren the moment it spotted him, rearing its head in curiosity. It remembered him, bolting across the room. In moments the little twerp had scaled Levi’s leg and latched onto the raven’s arm. It dug in little claws for purchase, pushing up with its forearms to stare hard into his eyes.

There was a sharp chirp, and that was that.

Levi played babysitter. He let Eren teeth his new fangs against his armoured plating, taught Eren how to communicate properly with the shared consciousness, and everything else a youngster should know.

Eren had grown and learned, his personality only becoming more interesting as time passed. He was clumsy in his adolescence, but only for a short time. It was after that time that Levi started to feel…concerned. Eren was not worker material. That much had been clear from their very first encounter, obvious in that demanding (if squeaky) little voice. Eren was fierce…but perhaps too much so to be a soldier.

And that left only one other option.

Eren knew what was happening to him, but he refused to call his own mother out of her nest to fight him. He wouldn’t bring that upon his clan.

So he left them.

Eren marched from his birth hive without a second glance back. And Levi had followed him. Uprooted from the life he had known and utterly lost, but he didn’t look back either. He never had. Levi didn’t ever wonder what his life might have been, because there was nothing he could have wanted more than stumbling upon that brash little hatchling all those years ago.

And now Levi entered the hive on a mission to find one of Eren’s own bold little hatchlings. The comparison made him smile.

The both of them had come so far.

Thrums and other sounds from the hive hinted at which turns Levi should make, the scent of a nearby hatchling pulling something protective up from within the raven. He followed the twisting tunnels. Guided by bio-lights that pulsed to light up doorways and paths he should follow, Levi made his way to the hatchling’s location.

It was a surprising distance from the nest, panting out quick little breaths. The little tyke was obviously weary, having tired itself out even getting this far.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Levi asked.

The hatchling turned, a little sluggish, at the sound of his voice. It blinked, untested eyes struggling to pick out the shape of Levi in the gloom of the tunnel. At this point, Levi doubted it saw anything more than his outline – just a dark and vague shape against the bio-lights. But it didn’t seem afraid, scenting the air and finding him friendly enough. Kin, nothing to be concerned about. It probably recognised something more, that this particular soldier was more than just kin but also _parent_.

Levi eyed the little lifeform, hearing its curious squeaking. It looked up at him, senses straining to identify more about the newcomer, and when Levi pressed thoughts towards it the youngster chirped at him. It recognised Levi’s thoughts better than his words.

The hatchling gave a little, whining yawn and warbled at him in a tiny voice. It was tired. It wanted warmth and nest and Eren.

A kind of tension slid from Levi’s shoulders. He hadn’t even realised that he’d been waiting to see how this hatchling responded to him, if it would act anything like Eren had when he’d been that young. But no. This little thing was no budding queen, and somehow that comforted Levi. He remembered what it was to serve without worrying what might happen to his queen. Before Eren, Levi would have followed anyone so long as it meant his own survival. But his devotion to Eren had grown truly fearsome over the years. Levi didn’t know what he would do if he found another of their kin that wished to pit itself against Eren’s strength and dispute his right to lead them.

He’d not thought about it much before, but losing Eren would probably be something that Levi would not recover from.

But if he kept thinking about such things, Levi knew he would soon have Eren smothering him.

He carried on through the tunnels. The hive interior was quite busy, and Levi passed quite a few workers on his way to the nest. They greeted him, but were more excited by the presence of the little one huddled in the crook of his arm. The youngster tried to burrow closer, shy at the presence of others who were not mother. Levi let it curl its little tail around his fingers for comfort. He made sure not to linger, allowing only a moment for the excitable workers to see the newest of their kin before moving on.

Finally, he reached the core.

The hive itself rumbled in greeting, welcoming Levi back and also alerting Eren to his presence, like the brunet wouldn’t have sensed him.

Eren looked up when Levi rounded a corner into the nest. He found Eren looking dazed but happy, maybe a little sheepish, and covered in the rest of his brood as they played or rested as they pleased.

The raven approached, watching little eyes peer at him, curious. Even barely out of the shell, these hatchlings knew he must be someone important to be allowed so freely into the nest.

“Looking for this?” Levi asked, raising an eyebrow as he extended his arm in Eren’s direction.

Curled around his wrist was Eren’s escapee hatchling. It yawned wide and cooed a little hello to Eren, clearly happy to see him.

Eren gave a sheepish little cluck, pressing grateful thoughts towards Levi as the youngster was handed over.

“Already losing track?” Levi teased, keeping his humour to the minimum.

Thankfully Eren was in a good mood and only huffed his own amusement, gathering several clambering hatchlings and settling them against his side. Eren’s thoughts were a mix of emotion and flashing imagery. It was explanatory enough for Levi, little snippets of the newlings emerging from their shells and in the excitement Eren hadn’t noticed one of the babies wandering off. Eren was just relieved that it hadn’t gone beyond the hive. Levi had done well in finding the youngster and returning it promptly, receiving thoughtless praise from the happy queen.

With the whole brood and Eren’s mate candidate present, the brunet finally had the chance to introduce Levi properly.

The little ones seemed eager to meet him, squeaking when Levi was tugged down into the bedding by Eren. He met the youngsters in person, feeling a surge of protectiveness. The hatchlings’ little forms were vulnerable for the moment, and they would need his and Eren’s protection in the coming weeks until they had size on their side.

Eren chirped quiet, fond sounds to his brood, content with both Levi and their young settled against him. The raven would not have many duties outside of caring for his little family in the coming weeks. Eren would want to keep him close.

Leaning over a little, Eren nuzzled the side of Levi’s face. Their horns bumped together and a brief tussle ensued, mostly just interlocking and shoving gently back and forth. It was only playful, for Levi knew what Eren looked like when he truly wanted a fight.

It reminded Levi of when Eren was younger, just coming into his adolescent form, and his very first set of horns had begun to emerge. All of their kind had some horns, though for most of them it was only ever two. Everyone started out by growing through their first pair of horns. For the workers, horns were quite smaller. They weren’t destined for fighting, not unless there was an all-out war, and that was rare. Soldiers had larger horns, meant for sparring and use in battle. Even to intimidate. Usually, an emerging queen would seem very similar to a soldier, with larger horns growing through. They were more jittery, eager to find an opponent and establish a territory.

Eren’s horns hadn’t come through fully when he’d left his birth hive. The process was usually slow and somewhat uncomfortable, but he’d been too distracted with wandering to notice. Eren never complained. He’d been overjoyed to find Levi following him. The brunet had paused to rest for the night, stopping in his search for a good place to burrow down when he’d noticed there was a presence there with him. Eren had looked ready to fight, but his wary snarl died the moment he saw who had followed him.

Levi remembered the burst of excitement, the way Eren had bounded over to him. The young queen had been preparing himself for a time of lonely wandering, so seeing a familiar face was quite uplifting.

After a brief and fervent nuzzled greeting, the two of them had dug into the soil together. Their burrow was small, just enough space for them to squeeze down in the dirt tunnel beneath a boulder. Several nights had passed that way. They would travel during the day, then bed down beneath the soil come nightfall. Eren was neither shy nor demanding of space, eager to wind around Levi for the night and steal his warmth, taking comfort in his presence. In that regard, Levi could see just how young this creature still was. Eren missed his siblings, missed being able to rest in a happy pile with them. But Eren was also glad for Levi’s company.

Eren led the way during the daytime, heading in the straightest line possible for the next clan over. The youth was searching for his place in the world. They travelled through several of the neighbouring territories, not always welcomed. It was on this journey that Eren began to earn his right to queenhood.

If a queen did not want them there, it was made known with force.

Eren earned his second set of horns while fighting off a swarm of soldiers, with Levi by his side. In those early days, they had been truly savage. Eren refused to be killed for just passing through and he was not shy about his strength.

Before his first horns had even finished growing through, Eren started to get a second set.

He woke early one morning, excited and bouncing around enough that it woke Levi. The raven had barely left their burrow for that night when he got pounced on, a pitching chirp screeching by his ear. Levi winced, but he soon found the reason for Eren’s excitement. Two little points of bone were growing behind his first set of horns. It was a sign of status, clearly Eren would be formidable in adulthood if he was already earning his horns this young.

Eren butted his head against Levi’s, demanding a reaction. He seemed thoroughly contented with the proud thoughts Levi pushed his way, bringing gentle hands up to grip one of Eren’s larger horns. The brunet purred loudly at that, letting Levi turn his head. He wanted a better view, and Eren always turned utterly liquid when Levi gripped his horns. The brunet sent Levi a languid look then, flashing a toothy smile, but he wouldn’t try any wily seduction without first finding himself a hive to call his own. Instead, Eren purred his contentment and tilted his head, letting Levi inspect the new, little horns.

Levi felt a swell of pride in his chest, unable to hide it from Eren. His queen didn’t even have a home or a clan yet, and already it was this strong.

Shortly afterwards, Eren found his first real fight. In one of the territories that bordered Eren’s birth clan, there was a queen that Eren sensed was weak. No queen was defenceless, for they were all strong, but this one had not fought for a long time. It hid away in its hive labyrinth, sending weary soldiers out to meet its enemies.

Eren took one look at the soldiers sent to drive him off and sneered, not at them but at the state of them. Tired, overworked. They picked up the slack of their queen.

She was not worthy of their loyalty.

Eren bristled at the presence of kin that were not tied to him, but he strode forward with no intention to fight them. He had more than enough confidence in his ability. He could bring these creatures down if need be, probably without even needing to kill any of them. The soldiers seemed to realise that, too, and Eren knew that it had been a long time since any of them had seen a queen worthy of their respect…for not one of them tried to stop him. Eren marched through their land, trailed by curious workers and soldiers alike.

Levi knew what it was, Eren just had a presence to him. He was strong, but Eren wouldn’t use that strength needlessly and he saw no need to fight creatures that could very well be his soon enough.

At the entrance to the hive, Eren had paused only to stop Levi from following him.

The raven was reluctant to wait outside, but Eren refused to enter the hive unless he did so alone. His eyes were stern, the expression more solemn than Eren had ever looked.

This was his fight.

So, with a reluctant sneer, Levi agreed to wait. He guarded the entrance to the hive, unwilling to let anything enter. Though shortly after Eren disappeared inside there was a flurry of fleeing workers. They were unharmed, just flighty. Everyone could sense the change in the hive, the presence of a stranger. Levi felt the murmuring of this clan’s consciousness, tentatively pressing against his own mind as they looked for answers. The very air seemed charged.

Levi felt a jolt of shock, surprise from this hive’s queen.

Eren had found the core, it would seem.

Most of the fight occurred inside the hive, but it was clear who the victor would be when Eren emerged at last, dragging the flailing hive queen out with his teeth locked around one of her horns. He tossed her to the ground and the horn ripped right out of her head, falling to the ground.

Levi would never forget that awful screech that shook the air, an agonised wail. But also defeat.

Eren didn’t let his opponent have the chance to skulk away. She would not get to lick her wounds in exile. No. Eren ended her with a single, precise flick of his claws and ate her carcass before the whole clan. He stood when he was finished, dripping blood from his pointed teeth, and curled his tongue out to swipe away some of the gore.

It was a gruesome victory.

Levi knew it would be good for Eren, though. This fight would soothe Eren’s urge for combat, removing the restlessness that had driven the brunet all this way.

The first moments after that were chaos. The workers huddled under whatever shelter they could find, plants, rocks, anything, while the soldiers finally burst into action. Their queen had been slaughtered, and it was now time to test the ability of the newcomer. Eren didn’t seem offended, nor surprised. He gave a single, sharp chirp the second that the field before them erupted into motion and Levi was called into action. Finally.

There were no deaths. Eren wouldn’t kill these creatures for testing him, for he _wanted_ to prove himself. He could defend himself without further slaughter. And if he could, then Levi would do the same.

Levi had sparred with Eren many times before when he had been training the youth in combat, teaching him how to defend himself, how to go for the kill. But seeing Eren fight, Levi knew how much he’d been holding back. Eren was fast, a nightmarish blur of movement leaving soldiers unconscious in his wake. This process seemed violent, but it was essential. If any of these soldiers were disrespectful after such a thrashing, then Eren would know that they did not belong under his rule.

There weren’t many that tried to rebel against him after that. Eren weeded out those who were disloyal and gave them the option to flee, or fight him. Only a couple ever tried to fight him, and they did not live long afterwards. The rest, but a handful of souls, fled for their lives.

And thus, Eren inherited this new kingdom.

With his queenhood assured and a third set of horns on the way, Eren took to learning his territory. It was large and there were a lot of workers and soldiers to monitor, but Eren quickly got the shared consciousness under control. His soldiers were put under a better routine, doing only what scouting they needed to be doing.

Eren did his own fair share of scouting. The brunet patrolled his new kingdom alongside soldiers, visiting farms and workers as he went. He had earned the respect of these kin, but now Eren needed them to trust him, to know that they could rely on him. If they needed him, he would be there. Where Eren could not be everywhere at once in person, he could monitor the entirety of his territory thanks to their shared consciousness. Information was instantaneous. The eyes of workers and soldiers alike were Eren’s eyes, feeding him images and keeping the brunet informed. Eren knew the moment that visitors arrived. He knew when threats were encroaching.

Peace was made with the neighbouring kingdoms, including his mother’s.

Eren returned to the hive and began the long process of healing it, adding his own organic defences to the place, improving the structure. He dug his own core down deeper than the previous one, building his nest there. It was the longest that Eren had ever spent inside of a hive, having always been one to mingle with his people. He had been preparing, carving out new space, urged by some instinct that he would need a bigger hive.

Eren called in several of his kin to spend the night, just longing to sleep in a pile of warmth instead of alone. He’d gone out in search of Levi, too, dragging the bemused soldier into the hive. Levi found himself tossed into a pile of snuggling workers, but before they could become anxious at his presence Eren joined the pile and nestled down amongst them all.

Head bedded against Levi’s shoulder, Eren purred, loud and shameless. He drifted off quickly.

Some nights later, after days spent digging and nights spent cuddling various individuals he called into his snuggle heap, Eren woke with a soft warble. He sat up, bleary-eyed but also strangely focused. Levi stirred beside him at the sound, at the movement, and before he could ask what was wrong…he felt it.

Their connection to the other hives was not strong, but this one was the strongest. Eren’s birth hive was in mourning.

Their queen had passed away. She had not been slain, simply ill. Their attempts to mend her had not been successful and the queen was now dead.

Eren’s eyes were hard, his grief kept firmly within his own head. He wouldn’t burden his people with anguish, but seemed appreciative of Levi’s gentle grooming that night.

Eren didn’t sleep a wink. When morning came, he rose with a sense of purpose and marched out of the hive. The brunet didn’t so much as startle at the enormous crowd of kin that were waiting outside his hive, each of them equally sleepless. These were not Eren’s own, but those from his birth hive. All of them. Their faces were weary, many of them looked ready to fall over. They had worn themselves into the ground trying to save their queen and now, with her passing, turned to the only source of protection that they knew of.

The next in line, possibly even stronger than their old queen.

Eren would not turn them away, for in his mother’s absence these people were his people.

The brunet felt tentative presses against his mind, sad and lost souls pleading, begging for sanctuary. He opened his mind and his home to them, for these creatures felt the same sorrow that he did. Eren went forth to welcome them all, though it was a more solemn greeting than he would have liked.

That day, Eren found himself the leader of twice as many people as the previous day.

His weary kin were welcomed into the hive, given a safe place to rest, and the workers there brought them food.

Eren gathered his soldiers and split their numbers down the middle, returning one half to their duties here. The other half was sent to scout his mother’s land. Levi was sent with them, for he knew that place in its entirety. Even the hive.

Eren refused to let the old kingdom fall. Instead, it would join his own.

Levi was shocked at how empty the land was, devoid of all the people he recalled. Of course it would be so, with them all sleeping in Eren’s hive. The sight was still a shock. Levi sent the other soldiers to check the borders, meanwhile he headed inland. The hive was enormous, a true masterpiece, but it sat gloomy an ominous on the horizon this day. Levi rushed to it in a series of warping jumps, pausing outside one of the entrances. He touched a hand to the rough outer surface and felt the hive groan in answer to the contact – it recognised him. His welcome was far from a happy affair, as even this hive was sentient enough to mourn its creator. Promises of help were all Levi had to offer.

The very mention of Eren had the place thrumming with anticipation.

Days later, Eren arrived.

He seemed wary despite Levi’s assurances, like he thought his mother’s hive would reject him. Eren didn’t want to have to fight its defences. He just wanted to come home.

The first brush of fingers against its exterior had all of Eren’s doubts rushing out of his mind, a deep rumble of welcome sounding. It shook the very earth. Eren steeled himself and entered the first tunnel. He was gone for many hours, wandering the interior and reliving memories, visiting his mother’s nest where she had spent her final moments. The clan had eaten her, as was tradition if a queen passed while her people remained loyal. She had been well loved, so they honoured her in this way. It was a way of keeping her with the people, and Eren wished he could have been there. But in his own way, he was a part of her. One of her own offspring. He would always carry a part of her with him, and would never allow her lands to fall into hands that were not his own, or that of his own offspring.

This land and these people could rely on him.

So, in the very hive where he had hatched, Eren made his new home. He added his touches to the hive, dug new caverns and tunnels to welcome his influx of followers. The nest was his now. He would birth his own little ones here someday.

The thought had been so sudden in his mind, but now it wouldn’t leave. And so Eren worked on the nest. Improved it. He added more defences, built his own organic matter to join the old hive walls.

Finally, he was satisfied. This was home. It had been when he was but a spawn, and it would be in future.

When Eren finally emerged from the hive, it was clear that he had a new purpose.

With old territory reclaim, a stable kingdom established, and three sets of horns grown in to advertise his strength, Eren began to look for suitable mate candidates. He searched amongst his kin, new and old, finding soldiers that were strong or particularly loyal. This would be how he brought his two people together as one. Their lands were merged now, one massive expanse of territory, and if Eren wanted to merge the people as he had the land, then he would need to show equal favour to both sides. So he walked among his kin, choosing those he favoured.

And he sent them to Levi.

It was Levi’s job to determine their worthiness, for Eren would bring any potential suitors to the raven first. To watch them fight, to see how strong they all were.

There wasn’t an opponent that Levi couldn’t overcome, but those who were defeated and still had his respect were good enough in Eren’s books. In those early days, if Levi deemed them worthy, that was enough. When the final choice came, Levi was stupidly surprised to feel Eren’s thoughts curling in his head, mischievous and wanting. He’d been loyal since the queen was still a hatchling. It made sense that Eren would want to keep him close and Levi quickly overcame his surprise.

When all the mate candidates were heavy with their eggs, they were called into the core of Eren’s hive. Deep in the earth, right to the nest.

One by one, they were summoned to deliver their clutch. Levi stood in the tunnels just outside of the nest, restless and aching, waiting until Eren called him in. He watched the others waiting out there with him grow less and less. One would go in; the others would wait. Levi shut his eyes at the sound of Eren’s pleasure, images flickering in his mind from Eren’s awareness, the little twerp teasing him even then.

_Soon, Levi._

Finally it had just been him waiting in the tunnels.

Levi straightened when the last male to have entered the nest emerged suddenly, eyes glazed over and looking thoroughly dazed. The raven watched them stagger off, no doubt to get some well-deserved rest. He almost smirked after them, but Eren’s presence was heavy in his head once more. Eren’s thoughts were whimsical and even more dazed than the soldiers that had trailed out of his nest. Mating was new to Eren, but he seemed to be taking to it with ease.

Summoned in, Levi forced his legs to work and carry him into the nest with shaky footsteps.

He found Eren lounging in his organic bedding, stretching idly. The brunet all but sang at Levi, high little trills that encouraged him closer, hands outstretched towards the raven.

Levi took in the damage, the mess of fluid on Eren’s thighs, the glassy-eyed stare, the distension of his belly where the other males had left their eggs. And now Levi’s eggs would complete Eren’s first clutch. This hive would finally feel like a home once Eren was properly gravid, and soon youngsters would be filling the place with life and noise. No one would be able to deny Eren his queenhood then. Not once he’d established his territory and started breeding.

The triumph was clear in Eren’s eyes despite their pleasured haze.

He summoned Levi closer with a bark of command, snickering when the raven darted over. Levi wasn’t surprised. He’d answered to this brat when Eren had been tiny, naturally a true command would hold much more sway.

Levi found himself settled between Eren’s legs, the slick thighs parting for him. Eren hooked his legs around Levi’s hips and watched with a critical eye as the raven’s pelvic armour shifted to bare his genital slit. It was there that Levi paused, a little furrow appearing between his brows. He hadn’t mated since before he’d become loyal to his previous queen. After his first queen had been killed, Levi’s loyalty had shifted to the queen that had slain her – Eren’s mother. But she had never called upon him as a mate candidate.

Levi found the seam of his slit sealed tight, the skin agitated at the thought of parting. Grey eyes flicked up, anxiously holding a cool, teal gaze.

Eren didn’t give Levi the chance to bail on him.

The gentle press of fingers around his slit had Levi jerking, unused to contact there. He held obediently still while Eren felt around, obviously looking for the source of the holdup. Levi had always been his most loyal, so there was no chance that he would willingly try and withhold his eggs from Eren. Tucking his claws away, Eren traced a finger along the seam. Levi shook terribly, his head hanging between his shoulders at the stimulation. It was so odd to see Levi looking vulnerable, so Eren traced the tender seam again, and again, rubbing there gently over and over until a high chirp burst from Levi’s throat and the seam opened under Eren’s touch. Slick fluid came with it in a rush, spilling over Eren’s fingers.

Victory, Eren smiled.

Levi was looking thoroughly overwhelmed and they hadn’t even started. Poor soldier.

Eren crooned soothing notes at him, fingers slipping past Levi’s slit to find his ovipositor and coax it out. The problem seemed obvious once Eren considered that he’d never seen Levi called to his birth hive for mating. Levi had only ever come to the nest to fetch Eren, to teach him, or take him exploring. And from the moment Eren had been brave enough, he’d gone out to find Levi himself. The raven hadn’t had to undergo this kind of activity for a long while, then. Eren was sympathetic, he wouldn’t make Levi suffer too much.

But he did want his eggs.

There was a reason that Eren had called Levi in last. He’d thought of this very moment many, many times over the years that Levi had been loyal to him. Eren had dreamt of earning his queenhood, building his nest, and then calling Levi to it. He knew the raven wouldn’t refuse him. And once that dream had become a reality, Eren wanted to make sure that he savoured the moment. He’d called his other mate candidates in, knowing that he needed to adhere to tradition, create good lines, solidify his people’s trust in him. This was a huge step forward for them all. It would bring his whole kingdom together.

And Eren could still get what he wanted. He called in all the others, then watched them leave, until he could sense only Levi’s presence waiting just outside. And he called him in, planning to take his time.

Now it was obvious that Eren would need to take his time, or else he could risk hurting his favourite. His most loyal. His good soldier.

Eren reached with his free hand, cupping the back of Levi’s neck and tugging him down. Levi’s mouth was pressed into a tense line, his head a mess of thoughts – failure, fear of punishment for making his queen wait, apologies, and the beginnings of self-loathing. Eren pressed kisses to that tense mouth. He filled Levi’s head with his fondness. It seemed to startle the raven, but he melted under the weight of Eren’s affection.

Eren’s tongue was in Levi’s mouth, a hand gripping the raven’s horns, and fingers in his slit. It was absolutely too much, and Levi was a chittering, incoherent mess because of it. He shuddered when Eren’s fingers found his length, slowly but surely coaxing the ovipositor to follow his retreating fingers. At the first breach, the rest of the length spilled out. No further help was needed as the flesh felt around, finding Eren’s thighs slick with various mating lubricants. It was an easy path down between those thighs to his entrance and Levi managed to get enough sense in his head to back off from the temptation of Eren’s kisses and find one of his horns to bite.

That had been something that Eren had been dreaming about since he’d gotten his first pair of horns. The reality left him floored, a rush of pleasure coursing through his veins along with that same, sedated feeling he’d always gotten when Levi had touched his horns.

The reaction only occurred around desired mate candidates. Horns were only sensitive like that during mating, or around favoured suitors. In battle, they became a formidable weapon.

Eren was glad for Levi’s teeth digging into his horns as the raven began to slide inside, for Eren was still unused to the stretch of penetration. Opened up with the slow press of slick flesh inside, Eren couldn’t deny that he wanted this. He purred just thinking about it. Acknowledging that the moment he’d yearned for had finally arrived. It was just so overwhelming. Not painful, not quite. The nerves inside were unused to the mating process, but even as they were overwhelmed they sent good signals to his brain. This is good, this is what is meant to happen. His body was made for this. Eren was already growing used to it, after all the first coupling had been the most intense and the least pleasant. But all his males had been good to him. They were slow and gentle, considerate. Even Levi held off the transferring process for Eren’s sake, letting him grow used to the girth of his ovipositor, the feeling of it inside, it’s strange texture.

Unwilling to wait, Eren squeezed down around the intruding flesh, prompting Levi to start already.

_Give them to me, Levi._

It was somewhat comforting that Levi seemed even less prepared for this than Eren had been.

The raven had released his hold on Eren’s horn once he was inside, so Eren was free to take his mouth. While Levi’s eggs shifted, the first sliding down, Eren licked past those thin lips. He swallowed the near-alarmed noises that Levi made, crooning and holding him.

Then the first egg began to press inside. It was Eren’s turn to keen, comforted by trembling kisses pressed along his throat.

That first clutch Levi gave him had been far smaller, only three, for the males that had come before him had also contributed to Eren’s final clutch. He could only hold so many, and the more suitors he called upon, the less eggs they gave him individually. It was a lot once they were all together, delivered and nestled safely inside. Eren stretched when Levi was done, feeling the shift of his clutch inside him, the difference in pressure – some place inside him pressed open to house all his little ones. He gave a satisfied whimper when Levi’s ovipositor slipped out of him, leaving Eren full and heavy. This would be the new urge now that his urge to fight was diminished. Eren had claimed his territory, and now he’d claimed his mates. His first clutch would solidify the new instincts to breed and expand his people, to grow his little kingdom.

Eren was eager to meet his little ones. He’d just have to wait until they hatched.

Back then, it had been such a hectic time. Preparing for the new little ones, making sure that Eren himself was prepared for laying.

Levi compared then to now, still finding it odd that all the hatchlings clambering around Eren were there because of him. The sole father. And Eren seemed more content than ever, staring distractedly at Levi with that overwhelming fondness while his brood wreaked havoc, playing chase around Levi’s feet.

He’d gone to stand closer to the door, unable to get out of guard mode. Every time Eren called him over to relax, Levi’s mind reminded him of his responsibilities. This was _his_ family, his brood, his Eren. They needed his protection. He had to keep them safe.

Levi stared at the doorway, monitoring the presence of everyone in the hive.

_You worry too much._

Eren’s thoughts were playful, turning more amused when Levi cast him a moody glance over one shoulder.

_Don’t get too invested in guarding this place, Levi_ , Eren pushed the thoughts the raven’s way and his smile turned languid when Levi looked back at him, _I plan to have you far too busy for that_.

Levi inhaled sharply as images flashed in his head, memories of their last mating, thoughts of rebuilding the maturation pods. When he could think straight again, Levi looked at Eren with wide eyes. The brunet was eager to boost their population. They were too few as it was, but the queen’s plans were bounding out of Levi’s expectations. More little ones? So soon? Eren wanted him to start preparing another clutch already?

In Eren’s mind, it made sense to keep Levi as his sole mate candidate. All of Levi’s offspring had turned out to be strong, both the workers and the soldiers alike. If Eren wanted a reliable force with which to rebuild their world, Levi was the best chance at that.

It had always been him and Levi against the world, from the very first moment. Eren had never lost faith in his strongest.

And now, they could save their world. Together.

_Oh the plans I have in store, Levi_ , Eren stared the raven down, his eyes blazing wide with excitement at the thought of what was to come, if he could pull it off, _we’re going to change this world_.

Levi swallowed audibly, but dipped his head in assent.

Whatever Eren wanted, they would get it done. Save the world, or change it, or both. Together, Levi believed there was nothing they couldn’t do.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Eren's big plans and raising the babies to come :)


	5. Chapter 5

 

If Eren did have a fully laid out plan in mind, he was not inclined to share it. Not with anyone, at least not the specifics. Levi knew that such things were possible, if only for the queens who had a good deal more control over the hive consciousness. If they did not wish to share something, it was possible to keep it a secret.

But for how long, Levi wondered.

He prodded at the edge of the queen’s consciousness from time to time, curious but not suspicious when Eren shooed him away.

There were things that even Levi was not meant to know ahead of time.

Some of Eren’s plan was handed out openly, such as the new system of tunnels and caverns that their queen desired to carve out. They would be digging much farther down than usual. Extending the hive was not a surprising course of action, not until Levi found out what the expansion would be for, and why.

Eren was bringing their farms underground.

Not all of them, for not all sustenance would grow beneath the earth without the help of their sunlight. But those things that could grow underground would be sown into the richer soil down below the main hive. They would have more food, and safer conditions for the workers. No one and nothing could ambush them in their own hive, especially not so far down. The new farms would be even deeper than the hive core, the nest itself. If their world did come under another attack from new enemies, this hive at least would be able to provide food for its people. They would not starve ever again. Now they just had to get the job done, do the digging, sow the seeds, tend the earth.

Eren called a good deal of his workers into the hive, setting them clear and simple goals – clear out the new space. Even some soldiers were brought in to help. They brought the freshly dug soil outside, where it would be taken by more workers out to the farms that existed aboveground. The dirt from below was unspoiled by fighting. It would help the surface recover, and hopefully coax their existing farms to flourish. Eren busied himself in the newly dug tunnels, often right alongside the digging workers. He could not help them directly, for Eren had his own role to fulfil. His task now was to weave more of the organic matter that kept hive systems stable, linking these new areas with the old ones, and keeping the dirt ceilings from caving under pressure.

This was very important, especially if they were burrowing further down.

The reason for this was simple: fear.

For all the strength and speed and ferocity that Eren possessed, he was not immune to fear. It was not a childish carryover, nor some whispering worry of dark places, but the very real fear Eren had for himself and his kin. They were not out of the woods yet. Already nearing the brink of extinction, it was no secret that another attack would likely wipe their species out for good.

But not if they fell back on their strengths. The hive, the earth, the very planet itself.

The soil would provide; she wouldn’t let them die.

It was thanks to the hives that they’d survived the last attack at all, and Eren poured his gratitude into his own hive. He made it bigger, better, stronger than it had ever been. Stronger than any hive had ever been…and that was a scary thing in its own right. Levi had never seen a hive act so _alive_. The walls blinked with bio-lights, growing their own twisting tendrils with no help from Eren. Tentacles that could act as helpers, or turn deadly in an instant if they detected a threat – they grew slowly, but in large numbers. Every day they appeared in another tunnel. Reaching, helping to shift dirt outside, some even digging into the ground to help with excavation.

The growth, the intelligence of this hive, was ridiculous. It was more than a little frightening. But when Levi thought about it, he wasn’t surprised much at the ability of Eren’s hive, his ever-growing creation.

It came from Eren, but this place had a mind all of its own now. And that…actually came in handy.

With the lack of kin to call upon for help, Eren built out his nest. The new nursery had one primary caretaker outside of Eren and Levi – the hive itself. Thick tendrils crept from the walls, seeming to stretch on without end. Many grew in the entryways to the nest – a living curtain; they shielded the nest and its tiny occupants from view. Only Eren and trusted kin were allowed to pass. The tendrils kept Eren’s hatchlings from wandering too far while they were still small, acting as guardians, playmates, and more. There were sections of the wall that provided a gooey form of sustenance, easy for the little ones to consume. And because of it, they grew fast.

Eren, exhausted as he became during the days of producing new hive materials, returned frequently to the nest. He checked on his clutch, communicated with the nest.

Every few weeks or so, he called on Levi with purpose.

Always with that curl of want, promising a thorough game of seduction if Levi would only go to him.

Levi didn’t have it in him to refuse. He doubted he ever would.

Drawn to the hive’s core by the siren’s call of Eren’s longing, Levi monitored himself for a moment. The newest clutch was ready, and a good thing too for Eren didn’t seem inclined to wait a few more days. He wanted his clutch now.

And he was going to get it.

Levi knew he hadn’t been moving fast enough when there was a flicker of motion before him and Eren was right there, skin glinting dully under the bio-lights. Eren’s eyes were ablaze, not with anger but with need. Levi let go of a surprised sound when Eren grabbed him by the horn, tugging him towards the core with an unrelenting grip. It had Levi in a daze and he staggered after the brunet, rocked by little spasms of pleasure whenever Eren’s grip shifted.

Eren had never been quite this forward before.

Levi didn’t think he minded it all that much.

They passed a few figures on their trek through the tunnels, though Levi’s gaze was somewhat limited, his eyes blinking, the lids sluggish. No one got in Eren’s way, instead finding other paths to scuttle off to. It would be a poor time to earn Eren’s wrath. They all knew what he wanted, where he was going, and Levi felt the fluttering presses of little thoughts from his kin.

All of it was some variation of “good luck” and taking in Eren’s mood, Levi figured he’d need all the luck he could get.

The scent of the nest hit Levi hard, the smell of new maturation pods and filtered air from the outside and Eren, Eren, _Eren_ everywhere. All Levi could do was sigh and go where Eren towed him. Dazed but obedient. Levi let himself want, unashamed of Eren sensing his every thought. They were heading for the safety of the bedding, the one place Eren felt absolutely secure. No enemy had ever made it into the heart of one of Eren’s nests. Levi doubted one ever would. Even past his own worry for their species…there was always that faith that Eren would be there. He was good at enduring like that.

Despite the budding desperation, Eren was gentle in settling Levi into his desired patch of bedding. Levi held delicate cargo; it wouldn’t do to damage the newest clutch and undo all of Levi’s hard work.

It wasn’t easy making good eggs so frequently, Eren knew, and victus on top of that for afterwards. Levi did all that and more, working himself impossibly hard in the new tunnels. The raven wasn’t content to live idly. Levi lived for his people, for his hive, but mostly for Eren. If there was something the brunet wanted, Levi would make sure that he got it and more.

A rush of praise poured into Levi’s head, a smothering affection that burst forth seemingly from nowhere. Levi really did wonder where Eren’s mind took him sometimes to get reactions like this.

He supposed he’d never know.

Eren hovered over the raven, curling his tongue into Levi’s mouth. Gently, ever so gently, Eren laid himself against the soldier, letting Levi feel their bodies touch, a teasing weight against the eggs inside of Levi. Levi’s protective plating shifted so fast that it left him dizzy. Every time they came together, Eren seemed to affect him more and more. The queen knew all of Levi’s weaknesses, digging his knuckles into the flesh around the soldier’s bared genital slit to feel Levi shudder. The seam there parted and Eren pressed a thumb inside, gathering moisture. Levi looked utterly mortified when Eren brought that thumb to his mouth, tongue curling out to taste, but the raven couldn’t make himself look away.

The teasing never lasted long, Eren was far too impatient for that.

With a sudden grip on Levi’s shoulders, Eren rolled them. The movement was quick and Eren blinked up at Levi from beneath him, head tilting back, falsely coy. He settled, wriggling about until he was satisfied, and Levi got into place too. It was always easier like this, with gravity to help the slide of Levi’s eggs. Eren didn’t want to put his soldier under anymore strain than necessary, lest he risk damaging the clutch or Levi himself.

This was simple, familiar. After sleeping for so long, Eren knew to appreciate his every moment and time spent with Levi was one of his favourite things.

Mischief returned to Eren’s gaze as he settled himself into the bedding. Eren watched Levi shift, getting comfortable, and the queen’s sly playfulness wasn’t kept in any sort of check. Long fingers slid between Levi’s legs, greeting the pale flesh of Levi’s ovipositor as it slipped free of confinement. The raven huffed, exasperated, but he didn’t scold the brunet. He was allowed to touch. To stir him up, if that was Eren’s wish. Levi wouldn’t bark reprimands at him. Not even when Eren grew particularly bold and toyed with the open end of Levi’s length, fingers dipping inside to make Levi tense and quake with unfamiliar pleasure.

Levi bit Eren’s horn a little harder than he needed to in retaliation, though it couldn’t ever hurt Eren. The little twerp was built for this, all mischief and amusement, invincible under Levi’s touch. Eren could be elastic and pliant, or tough as rock when he wanted to be. Sometimes both. A sinuous nightmare, untouchable and deadly fast.

But under Levi, he was liquid. Eren felt himself go lax, a puddle of amusement and anticipation while Levi gripped his horn with his teeth, ruffled from Eren’s play.

Eren pressed his amusement at Levi, his thoughts curling fondly around Levi’s half-hearted agitation.

The queen lay still, waiting with as much patience as he could muster. He felt the first sticky kiss of Levi’s ovipositor against his skin, soaking up the mating lubricants that Eren had leaked eagerly. The fluid left the sweetest trail up between Eren’s thighs. At the centre, a coaxing heat. The questing length found its way there, spewing slick of its own over Eren’s opening before it tested the tender flesh, pushing to get inside.

Success! Levi’s tip made it inside and the raven stilled immediately, releasing his bite with a sigh.

It was slow going from there, as it always was. Levi was careful with his queen and he spared long minutes for the process. Eren basked in the moment, the quiet intimacy of tentative pressure and various lubricants, leaving the pair slick where they were joined and Eren was quite fond of that part. He’d smell of Levi for days after this.

Levi slithered inside inch by inch, and Eren welcomed the weight of Levi’s length within him, a comfort. This was the closest they could physically be. Well, without one of them dying and being consumed by the other. If Levi passed before him, Eren would honour him in that way and would fight off anyone who thought they also had that right. Levi was Eren’s, wholly. His loyalty was absolute. Eren was sure that if it was him to die first instead of the raven, then Levi would have a hard time sharing the last honouring ritual with others of their kin. Levi might not survive the loss of another queen, not when he’d given himself over so completely, and Eren hoped that if either of them had to die…that it would not be Levi left alone to suffer. Eren would much rather take that responsibility. Even if it destroyed him. Levi should never have to know such pain.

Eren startled at the sudden press of Levi’s mouth against his, the first of many gentle kisses dabbed against Eren’s lips. Perceptive as always. Eren was sure that Levi did not know the exact path that the brunet’s thoughts had taken. Even so, Eren must have seemed distressed, or upset to warrant such direct comforting.

Eren wasn’t about to complain; he rather liked when Levi coddled him.

Levi’s arms found their way around the brunet, holding firmly, and he pressed the rest of his ovipositor inside rather abruptly. The pair of them hissed at the sudden stimulation, but it wasn’t bad. Just sudden. It was a good distraction, though, and Eren tensed just to feel Levi inside of him, pressing him open. Feeling so vulnerable was a rare thing for a queen. In trusted arms, Eren quite liked it. He knew nothing could happen to him under Levi’s watch.

Levi wouldn’t allow anything to happen, he’d sooner die than fail to protect his queen, and it went both ways.

A low croon started in Eren’s throat and his tongue stole into Levi’s mouth, arms finding their way around the raven’s shoulders.

He held on, somehow always like it might be the last time. Levi’s hips stuttered against Eren’s when the queen closed a hand around one of Levi’s horns, refusing to let him escape. But Levi wasn’t going anywhere.

The raven only adjusted himself to better fit against Eren.

Levi shivered at the shift of the first egg, aware of its progress down his shaft. He felt Eren flex as the egg reached him, easing inside and adding to the stretch. The soft little sphere slipped into the waiting chamber inside Eren, safe, and Levi focused on the next one. Rinse, repeat. A slow pattern of sluggish pleasure and Eren’s heady praise.

They reached the end of Levi’s eggs in no time, the clutch housed safely inside the languid queen, but Levi did not move to slide out of him. Instead, Levi forced himself to lean away from Eren’s biting kisses. He still had victus to deliver, if Eren was ready.

Levi’s gaze met glassy teal eyes, waiting.

It took a moment for Levi to find his voice.

“Do you want the rest now?” He managed, a little rasping.

A fierce surge of want rolled through Levi’s mind from Eren and he found himself tugged impossibly closer. Eren’s mouth latched onto his neck, mouthing wet and needy kisses along the heated skin.

_Yes, yes, yes_ , Eren chanted over and over, a loud purr starting up in his chest.

Levi paused, abdomen tensing, and he felt the faux-eggs inside him slip free of their chamber and into place.

It was no surprise that Eren wanted the extra nourishment for his clutch now. Getting a good start for a clutch was a priority, even if it could leave the gravid queen feeling groggy. Directly depositing nourishment into the womb wasn’t usually too taxing, unless the queen was carrying a lot of eggs already. Via the mouth, the quick digestion was easier on everyone. But Eren preferred the direct approach, if he could get it. The brunet was always pushing Levi to give him just a little more, one more egg, one more supplement, until his belly was noticeably distended. It left him sore, but sometimes there was no telling Eren no.

Eren panted, happy for the moment, when Levi gave him what he wanted. Sometimes Levi was reluctant to test Eren’s limits, especially like this. Eren could take it, he wanted the victus now. It would give his newest clutch an easy start in life and get them growing quickly, which would allow Eren to lay sooner. He wanted a big family. Huge. And Levi would help him with that.

The false eggs, filled with nutrients that the raven had gathered and stored over the weeks prior, pressed into Eren one by one. Slowly, in case Eren decided he’d had enough. Levi followed each one with a new flood of slick to aid the slide. He didn’t care about the mess of fluid, it would be easy enough to clean and the bedding could soak up the worst of it. Levi paid close attention to Eren. Every twitch, every shiver. The queen could only hold so much inside, but he would gladly take more than his limit if Levi wasn’t careful. With each new egg slipping inside, Eren’s eyes fluttered closed. He tried to hold back his squirming, stretching instead to feel his clutch shift within him and settle differently, looking to see if there was more room.

Levi knew when there wasn’t.

He made to pull back, readying to withdraw from within Eren, and predictably a loud yowl stopped him.

Levi paused, indulgent but stern. He took in the puddle of limbs and happy sighs that was Eren, the queen languid and weary beneath him. Eren’s eyes were huge and imploring, shining in the way they often did after mating. The brunet whimpered just barely as he panted but the noises were far from distressed, and Eren leaned up to nuzzle Levi.

_I’m okay_ , Eren all but crooned, his presence sweet in Levi’s head, _one more? Please?_

Pleading little kisses were peppered across Levi’s expressionless face and Eren nuzzled his mouth, pressing a kiss there.

He seemed to sense something in the lack of Levi’s response, eyes calculating. Levi was going to tell him no. The raven could sense the tantrum incoming. Eren held off for the moment, knowing that there were better ways to get what he wanted. Levi could practically feel Eren’s mind racing to find something that would convince the raven to believe him.

_Just one more, Levi, I can take one more_ -

“You’re going to burst.” Levi droned, cutting off the pleading train of thought.

Eren was quiet, pouting immediately against Levi’s lips.

He whined, growling when that didn’t work, but the tantrum had little effect on Levi and he shifted back and away. Eren huffed, panting when Levi’s ovipositor slipped free of him. Amusement tugged at the corners of Levi’s mouth; Eren always acted like it was the end of the world if he didn’t get his way. In some ways, he was still so young. Before Eren could sulk much, however, Levi crawled up over him. Eren quietened, blinking owlishly when Levi’s hips hovered before his face and the pale flesh of his length curled towards the brunet’s mouth, brushing parted lips with wetness. Eren couldn’t help but flick out his tongue to catch the flavour left there. Sweet and sticky, heady dew drops that spoke of Levi’s pleasure, the base of his shaft already swelling as another false egg slid into place. Just waiting for Eren’s cooperation. Levi’s hand found his face, cupping Eren’s jaw, and teal eyes blinked up at vaguely amused grey.

“Open up.”

Eren bristled, but he welcomed the wet kisses Levi’s ovipositor dabbed against his mouth, questing about for somewhere safe and warm to slither into. Pink lips parted further to coax the length inside. The tip slid past his lips, greeted by Eren’s tongue, and he licked into the open end of Levi’s ovipositor to punish the raven. He knew it didn’t sting, but the nerves there were delicate and unused to stimulation. Even in spite, Eren treated Levi gently where it counted.

The tantrum wasn’t quite over and Eren sucked the length down his throat with a little too much vigour, swallowing to coax the flesh down so he wouldn’t choke.

Levi barely shuddered. Eren’s antics didn’t seem to surprise Levi very much. He wasn’t sure how Eren managed to pout around a mouthful of Levi’s ovipositor but Eren did it anyway, thoughts swimming moodily.

_Mean, unfair_ , Eren’s mind roiled in quiet rebellion.

“If it’s such a hardship, maybe I’ll just save the last few for next time…” Levi murmured, thumb stroking Eren’s jaw even as he poked fun at him.

Levi made to lean his hips back, feeling Eren’s arms curl around him lightning fast, claws digging in just slightly to keep the raven where he was. It was very telling. Levi arched an eyebrow down at the fuming queen. Eren glared up at the raven with a slitted stare, put out as he always was when Levi said no to him, but this was the next best thing. He held on tight to Levi’s hips and swallowed. It was as good as a command and Levi let the next of the false eggs slide down his length, watching with fascination as the slight bulge disappeared behind Eren’s wet lips. Eren’s throat relaxed and his eyes fluttered shut.

His tantrum was over, though Levi suspected Eren would still be pouting for some hours after this. Eren would get over it, Levi knew. He only wanted to prove to Levi that he was strong enough for anything. To have Levi worry about him at all was an insult to the queen’s pride, for they all knew how tough Eren was. But this process was delicate and intimate. There was a certain trust involved in mating, and Levi wouldn’t let Eren hurt himself trying to prove a point.

Levi thumbed at Eren’s lips, watching the brunet’s eyes open.

They stared each other down a while.

“More?” Levi asked, when it became clear that Eren wasn’t in the mood for communicating himself.

Eren got a look in his eyes that Levi suspected was an urge to bite him, but Eren wouldn’t dare hurt Levi like that. Not somewhere where it would actually hurt. He whined and swallowed instead and it was Levi’s turn to close his eyes, a shaky breath leaving him.

He didn’t bother to pause between the remaining supplements. Eren made his want clear, swallowing false eggs and slick alike in his eager effort to get them all down. His mouth and neck were a sticky mess that Levi looked forward to cleaning. If Eren would allow him to, that was. Levi’s eyes peeled open, feeling groggy from the extension of the mating, and he checked for any signs that Eren was still put out. The brunet’s hold was more cuddling than crushing now, and he suckled happily at Levi’s length to coax the final false egg free. It came unstuck with a rush of sweet fluid and Levi watched Eren drink it all down, teal eyes low-lidded and purposefully smouldering as they held mesmerised grey.

Eren sucked until Levi was panting and had nothing left to give him, letting the overstimulated length escape him with a pop and a mean smirk. But Eren stretched and his mind was buzzing with lazy satisfaction. He let Levi slip down beside him, content with the raven’s tired nuzzles.

Levi’s tongue found Eren’s mouth first, kisses morphing into longer licks and Levi got to grooming the sticky mess he’d left behind. Eren closed his eyes and purred. One of his hands crept up Levi’s neck, playing with strands of dark hair before they rubbed at the base of Levi’s horns, toying with the bone there to feel Levi shudder and pause in his work. Levi huffed out little, pleasured breaths and pressed wet kisses to Eren’s skin before he continued on, feeling forgiven.

Eren dragged him back up once or twice for a few proper kisses, mewling for his own forgiveness. But it was unnecessary. Levi couldn’t forgive if he never blamed Eren in the first place, knowing Eren far too well to believe that his tantrums were anything to worry about.

Eren postured and complained, but he knew even in anger that Levi only ever wanted what was best for him.

They fell asleep, entangled and still a little sticky in a purring mess of limbs.

 

 

Eren’s plan seemed to involve a lot of babies, and Levi was stupidly, deliriously happy about that. There were two clutches hatched already. Over a dozen squeaking youngsters, and Eren’s belly was filled with an incoming third clutch. The hive mind was buzzing with chatter, workers coming in to help care for the little ones, and Levi couldn’t pretend to be stoic even to preserve his collected reputation.

He was giddy with affection, dizzy with happiness.

Though things weren’t so pleasant outside of their little kingdom. The other hives were glum, their peoples working in miserable determination to keep their slumbering leaders from passing. It weighed heavily on Eren’s mind whenever the brunet left it open enough for Levi to get a peek at his thoughts, but Eren quickly bustled Levi into a life of business.

Rebuilding, new construction, and forming new clutches for Eren.

The raven’s life had become a thing of strict cycles, a routine. Excavate the new rooms, organise the workers there, develop new eggs and victus supplements, be a good mate and parent. It was exhausting, but Levi felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that he’d earned this exhaustion.

When nightfall came, he wandered the maze of the hive until he found Eren, and pulled the brunet from whatever task he had set himself. If he didn’t do so, Eren would surely work the whole night away. He couldn’t afford to exhaust himself. And so Levi enforced his own routines upon Eren, to keep them both sane. They would eat together in the evenings, sometimes from the hive tubes, sometimes from farm produce brought in from above. Then, sleep. Most of the time this was done with Levi and the ever-growing plethora of their little ones who clustered around their dozing parents to add to the snuggle pile. It brought Eren much comfort. Eren did so love to cuddle and was restless without a warm body nearby when he slept.

If even one of them purred it would set the whole pile off, and Levi fed his contentment through to Eren in wordless thoughts. When there were words, they relayed a devastating affection.

_I love them, I’ll keep them safe, I love you, I love you, I love you, Eren…_

Come morning, Levi often rose after Eren. The next was far from empty, but Eren was absent more often than not when Levi woke. The duties of a queen were fiercely demanding at the best of times, and they had only just left the worst. Eren was pulled from sleep earlier than most to continue his work, a merciless drive to protect and provide. Levi didn’t mind. He preferred it that way, knowing that Eren would likely be distressed if he were to awaken to find his bed company gone. Levi ate, preparing for the day. Breakfast came from the tubes, nowadays, and it was satisfying enough – nourishing enough to provide energy for the day and extra for Levi’s body to put towards his next clutch. Then a whole day of excavating soil to build the new farming caverns. This new farmland was important to Eren, and Levi, being of the closest bond with the brunet, cared deeply about finishing the new system as soon as possible.

Evening brought time for brief grooming. Levi would not return to Eren until he was dirt-free, and Levi was very thorough. If Eren wasn’t in an equally preened state, Levi would groom him too –he had a sneaking suspicion that Eren enjoyed the attention. Cheeky thing probably didn’t bother preening throughout the day for that very reason.

Levi couldn’t bring himself to be upset.

That was just Levi’s daily routine, but over a course of several weeks there was another.

Levi was in a near-constant cycle of producing clutches for Eren. While each of them worked physically on the outside, their insides were hard at work too. Levi’s body pulled nutrients to build fresh clutches, and Eren endured the taxing process of gestation.

The eggs were not held within him until hatching point. Eren was far too impatient for that. The nest was gradually lined with maturation pods, great cylindrical chambers of translucent membrane that contained a proxy amniotic fluid. Eren surrendered his clutches ahead of time to these surrogate wombs, trusting in his hive to guard the little lives until they hatched.

It was easier this way. The eggs weren’t as large as they would have been if Eren carried them all the way to natural laying, making it easier on his body. Less painful, and he required far less recovery time. This way, Eren could receive a new clutch almost immediately after laying, after at least a few hours of healing.

Hive life was certainly busier than it had ever been.

The nest wasn’t a place that Levi could spend very much time in nowadays. It got him too riled, this room full of _his_ unborn little ones, his family waiting to meet him.

Levi still didn’t fully comprehend it…that all these young were his. He didn’t share parenthood with a single other suitor and it felt as wrong as it felt right, something that had never been done before but that Levi would fight to hold onto. His family, his Eren.

Eren was not unaffected by the nest either. He got particularly broody when he spent too much time in the core, too, but he had been around clusters of young before. The hatchlings were always Eren’s in his hive. He understood why Levi was so thoroughly thrown off balance. Levi had only sired a select few little ones per clutch when Eren called his suitors to mate. Now they were all his offspring. All _theirs_.

It was beyond overwhelming.

When Levi wouldn’t come to the nest, the hatchlings sometimes went out in search of him.

The young were leaving the nest and the core of the hive more and more frequently, and Eren was less concerned than Levi had expected.

Having the tiny and inquisitive visitors popping up in various tunnels was a delight for the workers, who cooed and played with the little ones in between tasks. Being the friendlier of the kin, it made sense. Workers were likable. Every hatchling loved them. Soldiers could be more intimidating. Levi sure as hell had been and he was still stunned that he hadn’t spooked Eren off for good that first day they’d met.

Even the soldiers were harassed by these young. It was endlessly amusing to Levi and he could see that they were definitely Eren’s offspring – fearless and endlessly curious. While none of them were queen material, all of them were brave. Workers and soldiers alike interacted with the little ones. Trust bloomed and friendship was kindled. They made for good transport; youngsters would scuttle up and latch onto passing adults for a free ride about the tunnels while they caught their breath.

It was, in a word, adorable.

Levi hadn’t seen the hive and its inhabitants look so happy since before the war. Though raising so many youngsters made the hive seem like a warzone in and of itself, especially when the little ones found where Levi was working on the new farmland.

It was a world of freshly dug-out soil and wonder, a place where they wouldn’t be chided for making a mess.

Watching them play was as hilarious as it was worrying. They were energetic little rascals, quick as lightning and uncaring of the dirt that Levi toiled away in throughout most days. Life on the farms and excavation sites was endlessly entertaining to them. Levi watched his youngsters hassling workers and soldiers alike. He kept an eye on them while he worked. They loved to burrow into the mounds of soil that piled up to be taken outside, and Levi had to keep an extra close watch to ensure that none of the little ones were carted off to be dumped outside by mistake. Though he was sure they would love the adventure.

Levi didn’t want to scare any of the workers who might earn Eren’s ire if any of his babies were hurt, even accidentally.

And so the youngsters learned their first lesson – parent knew best.

They were allowed to have their fun, but the little ones learned quickly what Levi’s warning tone sounded like. With spoken words, in thought-form, even the brief barks of reprimand. If they heard that tone, it was time to stop doing what they were doing and listen. Smart little ones, they were.

Levi was proud of them.

Sometimes, very rarely, Eren would come to visit Levi and watch their little ones play in the caverns. It was rare because Eren very rarely took breaks in his own labour. When he did, though, Levi felt privileged to have his company.

The throng of youngsters squealed their excitement when Eren arrived one day and immediately tackled Levi into the nearest soil heap. It was obviously a play fight. Any obvious challenge would have been clear from the start, and Levi wouldn’t dream of insulting Eren in that way. He indulged the brunet’s playfulness, rough as it was. Eren’s teeth and claws were nothing to scoff at; queens were built stronger than any of them, fearsome and durable. But Eren only wanted to play for now. They thrashed and bit at one another, wrestling until Levi had Eren pinned one way or another and the brunet would whine to be freed. Levi heavily suspected that Eren was holding back on him. He remembered exactly how strong Eren could be, how fast and how deadly.

These play fights were nothing.

Levi also suspected that Eren just liked being pinned by him and he wasn’t about to complain.

Eren would test them all properly soon enough.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babies and some weird smut, nothing unusual there. No regrets!


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

Early one morning, a call stirred Levi from sleep. The hive bio-lights remained dim, still accounting for the majority of those who were sleeping, but one was awake and alert.

Eren’s presence in the hive consciousness was quiet, considerate of those who were sleeping. Towards Levi, though, Eren sent a rush of excitement. His call was not urgent, but it was strong. Important. Something that made the raven want to move right away, and he heaved himself up to begin the trek through the tunnels.

What really got Levi moving was the knowledge that Eren was _outside_ the hive today.

That was a rare occurrence. In better, more thriving times, queens were most commonly found outside their hives or traveling about their territory – restless creatures always on patrol. But lately, Eren’s whole world had been the hive interior. Eren had been so busy with excavation and nurturing the batches of little ones that he’d barely left the hive in months. That’s what soldiers were for. Those that weren’t busy with their own roles in the hive were sent to patrol the borders in Eren’s place, or even on longer journeys to communicate with the other surviving colonies. The workers, as always, came and went without instruction. They knew their roles without needing to ask first, being the most in sync with the hive consciousness, which in turn removed enormous weight of responsibility from their queen’s mind. Eren himself would likely take on more tasks away from the hive once he felt his kingdom was more stable. For now, their queen was sticking very close to home.

Levi hurried through his morning meal, eager to reach Eren and find the cause of the queen’s mood. Eren’s mind was a mess of eagerness and anticipation. Almost giddy.

Just what was he planning today?

Venturing out from one of the exit tunnels, Levi blinked as daylight greeted him. The day was barely beginning, the air chilly and clinging to the skin in a way that had Levi much more alert in moments. Grey eyes scanned through the gloom of early morning, sharp eyes tracking over the mottled grey soil. The perimeter of the hive was dotted with ghostly pale stalagmites that reached skywards, feelers of sorts that detected many things – movement, temperature, vibration from the earth and even the air. Just another part of the hive. A kind of early warning feature, able to detect undesirables approaching. But the stretching pillars also provided cover.

Eren was by no means hiding, however.

Levi spotted Eren with ease. The brunet made no attempts at stealth, standing just past the grove of stalagmites on flat ground, at ease out in the open. Eren stood stretching out his limbs as if in preparation.

But for what?

Eren’s gaze snapped over to Levi, a barely playful request brushing against the raven’s mind a second later.

_Up for a challenge, Levi?_

Oh. Levi stilled as he recognised the signs; the buzzing energy, the calculating eyes so bright with expectation, and that barely concealed intention to pounce.

Eren wanted to fight him.

Not their usual play fights, no. Oh it might start out that way, but Levi knew the look in those eyes; he recognised the tension in Eren’s stance, the flex of long fingers. Eren hadn’t fought an honest fight since the final battle for their planet, for their species, and then he had struggled to get his people to the safety of a hive in the molten aftermath before collapsing and entering the long slumber. Back then, there wasn’t a creature on their home world that was stronger than Eren. And now the queen wanted to find out just how much the hibernation had played on that strength. Eren was no fool. He would know not to expect the same strength he’d had in his prime, at the very peak of wartime. But they wouldn’t know for sure until Eren had someone to test his strength against.

There weren’t many who were foolish enough to take on a fully fledged hive queen, least of all one with Eren’s status. Ten horns from temple to the base of his skull. Enough authority pressing into the minds around him to leave most unpledged kin cowering.

Levi sighed, stepping forward.

Today, he’d have to play the fool’s role and fight his own ruler.

Any others of their kin might have run squealing at an invitation from Eren to fight. Levi felt his own growing wariness. Levi was well known for being Eren’s strongest, his most capable soldier, but there was no mistaking who the clan’s true strongest warrior was. If it had truly been Levi, then he might have stood where Eren did now. Eren flashed him a smile, all teeth and all too aware of Levi’s train of thought.

They both came to the same conclusion. Levi would never have achieved queen status…because he didn’t want to. He had no ambition outside of following Eren to the ends of the earth and back.

Eren’s feral smile faded somewhat, a softness invading his previously sharp gaze.

But the queen tossed his head soon enough, impatient and demanding Levi’s answer. They both knew Levi wouldn’t refuse Eren his request, not when asked directly.

Levi huffed, but he should have anticipated something of this nature. Eren had always been impatient, chasing progress faster than any other. He wanted progress now. To be stronger, to be done with healing already. This also explained why Eren hadn’t been focusing so hard on his breeding efforts lately, mostly nurturing his existing hatchlings. Levi hadn’t had to form a new clutch in the last few weeks, which was actually quite the relief. It wasn’t easy making viable clutches, let alone so frequently. But Levi really didn’t think about why.

Why would Eren want to put a halt on the repopulation efforts, even temporarily?

It made sense now. Eren wanted to train, to regain his full strength, and he wouldn’t risk damaging any growing clutches by trying to do both. Fighting while gravid was about as bad a decision as one could make, and Eren was thankfully smarter than that. He wasn’t carrying any new eggs, and neither was his mate candidate. It was the ideal time for sparring.

For now, their current batches of hatchlings were apparently enough to appease Eren’s brooding instincts, at least for the moment. Levi might have appreciated the break more if he wasn’t also about to become a substitute training dummy.

With a cautious sniff, Levi eyed the waiting brunet.

Eren tossed his head, already warmed up and ready to begin.

There was that eager light to his eyes, almost ferocious. Eren scuffed the ground with his foot, testing the soil, waiting for any sign that the raven would accept his challenge. There was ample distance between them. A safe distance, so long as Eren didn’t charge. Levi’s mouth set in a flat line, but he began preparing to face off against the rowdy queen, cracking his neck once each way and rolling out his limbs. Eren wouldn’t let him just back down, but he wouldn’t forgive Levi if he held back either.

Not that either of them had to worry much on that front. Levi didn’t plan to give Eren anything but his best.

Even if it stung the queen’s pride.

Warmed up and as ready as he’d ever be, Levi settled into a low stance, resting the tips of his fingers against soft soil. He stared Eren down and, with a minute nod, gave Eren his assent to begin the fight.

“When you’re ready.” Levi called.

Silence fell and Eren stilled for the barest moment, his eyes widening, the pupils slitted in concentration.

Then he moved, and Levi was glad he’d been ready for it.

Eren was like lightning, tearing up dust in his wake and snarling loud enough that Levi was sure it would wake the sleeping workers in the hive. Eren was fast, but not undetectable if one didn’t underestimate his speed. Levi sidestepped at the last moment, watching Eren go flying past. A hiss cut through the air even as Levi was turning. Eren’s claws slammed into the dirt and he spun himself around, eyes alight and already bearing down on the raven once more. Levi steeled himself, content to play on Eren’s speed until the brunet caught him. Eren had always been fast and the hibernation hadn’t changed that, but it was also a weakness without the proper control. All Levi had to do was avoid Eren’s grasp, even by a hair’s breadth, and the brunet would go tearing past him.

But Eren was a fast learner. He remembered this old trick, something Levi had used against him often when the queen had been young and more headstrong. It had worked then, but it wouldn’t fool him for long now.

The first noise of frustration escaped Eren. He’d challenged Levi for a reason – the raven was his very best soldier. But that made things all the more difficult for Eren. Levi had never fallen out of practice, and he had both speed and strength on his side.

A couple of heads poked out of one of the hive’s entrance tunnels, the first curious workers to have awoken. Their sleepy eyes quickly widened at the sight of their queen being slammed into the soil, rolling by in a pile of flailing limbs and gnashing teeth. Bleats of alarm distracted the fighting pair for a moment. Eren recovered first. He rolled out of the tangle of Levi’s hold, charging right back in. Levi’s attention swerved back in time to see the rapid approach and he ducked defensively. Their heads met with a loud clack of bone as their horns interlocked. Levi skidded back a few paces. His feet left tracks in the earth, Eren’s feet digging in deep to drive the raven back and leaving footprints.

Levi got a hold of the brunet’s shoulders, wary of Eren doing the same. The claws were out, though Levi doubted that Eren wanted to actually hurt him. Even so, he acted quickly to keep those talons safely off him.

With a heaving shove, Levi upset Eren’s balance and the pair landed in the dirt again, a rather undignified yelp escaping the latter upon impact. Eren was pinned before he could scramble away. He struggled furiously, but Levi had him good – jaws closing over the ridge of one horn to hold Eren’s head down. Eren didn’t fight back for long. He knew when he was beaten, though the queen did grumble his dissatisfaction.

When Eren finally stilled, huffing his defeat, Levi let him up.

Eren shook himself off as he got to his feet, shaking out his limbs and tipping his head from side to side. Frustration lurked in every line of Eren’s body, the brunet’s nose scrunched in displeasure. He hadn’t expected to be beaten so quickly. It was clearly discouraging.

But this was exactly the sort of thing that Eren would have wanted to know. How far had his skills fallen? How much would he need to relearn? Would anyone even practice with him?

That last part was the least of Eren’s worries, for he would always have a sparring partner in Levi. Despite the sense of wrongness instilled in fighting one’s own queen, Levi couldn’t argue that he felt thoroughly alive right about then. His heart beat hard against his ribs and every inch of the raven was alert, prickling with awareness. Ready. Levi took in steady breaths, sure to remain calm. It wouldn’t do to get ahead of himself and underestimate Eren so early. Besides, Levi needed to be at the top of his game so that Eren could fight his best without worrying about hurting his soldier.

Levi gave Eren a moment to catch his breath.

The raven inclined his head towards the scowling queen in silent query.

When Eren’s glower turned on him, Levi almost wanted to smirk. One defeat had all but launched Eren back to his rowdy, post-hatchling days, when even learning how to defend himself had been an insult to the budding queen. So much for their all-powerful, oh-so-heroic leader. Eren looked more like a pouting adolescent who’d barely earned his horns.

“Had enough?” Levi asked, one brow rising up with the question.

The brunet’s eyes flashed, wide and acknowledging of Levi’s challenge. It was set in the arch of Levi’s brow, questioning without words. Going to give up so soon?

Even unspoken, it had Eren fuming with new resolve and his gaze hardened.

_Again_ , Eren’s thoughts were sullen but determined.

He wasn’t about to give up so easily. Levi doubted Eren would stop until he’d put his soldier in the dirt, for only that would prove that Eren was still their strongest.

Levi rolled his shoulders, waiting on Eren to start the next fight.

“Don’t overdo it.” The raven said, though there was no teasing in his words this time.

Regardless of that, Eren charged.

 

 

“Doing okay down there?” Levi asked a panting Eren, the brunet flattened under yet another inescapable pin.

Eren huffed, but he didn’t sound annoyed.

After several hours and not much ground gained, Eren had stopped throwing tantrums and started paying attention. Which was good, because rush tactics had gotten him nowhere against the raven so far. Levi was good. Better than he’d been even on the battlefield. The years spent traversing hostile space far from home had done Levi huge favours in terms of experience, not to mention endurance. Levi could read even the smallest signs of hostility. He knew when Eren would charge even before the brunet took the first step. More astonishing yet was that Levi hadn’t even broken a sweat.

He was their champion for a reason, and it was blatantly obvious why he was the resident queen’s favourite.

Eren couldn’t deny that he was impressed. More than that, he felt a tingle of want roll through him at the calculating look Levi was giving him. His best soldier, so strong. So capable. But the distraction wasn’t welcome at that moment. Eren schooled himself quickly. He couldn’t give into temptation, and Levi wouldn’t give in to fleeting desire when they were both out there for a purpose. It was important that Eren regain his full strength, or his overall plan would be too ambitious for even his best efforts.

But it was difficult not to be distracted under Levi’s expert hold, the pressure of teeth on Eren’s horn keeping him suitably immobilised.

Eren knew he hadn’t struggled enough, he’d given himself away. Levi was monitoring Eren too closely to miss the signals. Eren’s longing, however fleeting, was evident. He released the brunet with a little scoff, amusement tinging Levi’s thoughts as he backed off to give the queen some space to get his feet back under him. So Eren was getting distracted, was he? Levi couldn’t help but smile a little, just a tiny upturn of his mouth. That would make his job here that much easier, with Eren’s focus split between taking Levi down or having Levi go down on him in an entirely different fashion. Eren could dream on if he thought they would be doing anything but sparring outside of the hive. Levi wasn’t about to let Eren call it quits. The queen had called him out here barely after dawn to practice, and he wasn’t about to get his way again so soon.

The soldier took up a crouching stance, waiting, and Eren swallowed down his longing.

“Focus, Eren,” Levi called to him, bold as ever with the casual use of the queen’s name, “there’s no prize for second place here.”

Eren’s eyes narrowed, picking up on the raven’s meaning. Levi wouldn’t let him have his way unless he _earned_ it. That wouldn’t be easy. Eren was already tiring, but he was also stubborn and filled with determination that doubled at the new challenge that bubbled up in Levi’s thoughts.

_Come and get me, little queen._

Teal eyes zeroed in on their target, the pupils slitting in concentration.

_Oh I’ll get you, Levi. It’s only a matter of time._

The pair circled each other for a while, Eren looking for openings and Levi awaiting Eren’s first move.

As the scuffling continued, their audience grew. A pile of anxious workers hovered by the entrance, joined by a soldier or two as they returned from scouting to deliver reports only to find their leader throwing down. The onlookers witnessed the spontaneous brawling, their minds busy with worry and countless questions. It wasn’t like their queen to want to fight. There was obviously a reason for it all, they knew; Eren always had his reasons.

Even so, it wasn’t easy watching Eren get slammed into the dirt over and over and over again.

Levi was merciless. He wouldn’t hurt Eren badly, but Eren wasn’t about to have victory handed to him either. Eren got to his feet, more shaky every time, dusting dirt from himself. He’d turn to face Levi again and again. Levi had the upper hand. He had years of experience over Eren where endurance counted, and lacked the disadvantage of falling into hibernation. But Levi had only survived this long because he had someone to follow, a cause to lend his strength to. Without that, who knew how things might have panned out? Eren’s bone-deep stubbornness and refusal to fall was what instilled so much loyalty in his kin, even in Levi. It was how he earned respect. Even weary and outmatched, Eren refused to stay down.

And it was the same now.

There was always another burst of adrenaline waiting in the wings, surging into action at the last moment.

As long as he didn’t stop, as long as he kept getting back up, Eren knew he wouldn’t lose.

Determination, a well-aimed lunge.

Finally, victory.

Levi didn’t see it coming, at last a burst of speed that even his eyes couldn’t track. _That_ was the Eren he knew. Lighting, electric, all but invisible when the finishing blow came. Before Levi could so much as think of a counter, he found himself beaten – dirt at his back and Eren at his front, pressing claws over his sides and teeth over his throat.

But there was no finishing blow. No blood spilled.

Eren reeled back with a triumphant whoop, staggering in his weariness but too elated to care. He rounded on Levi, heaving the raven to his feet. Eren’s mind was a buzzing mess of happiness, the slightest tinge of pride, and overwhelming gratefulness that he pushed Levi’s way. He’d done it. Eren had managed to take down the best soldier of all that existed on their planet. Another step towards full recovery had been taken. Tiring as that had been, Eren didn’t regret a moment of it and he could sense that Levi felt the same way even if it had been a bit touch and go for a while. If it meant getting their queen back, anything was worth it.

But for now, Eren was well and truly done with training.

Levi caught his weight when Eren leaned against him, breathing hard but still grinning. Adrenaline fading, Eren gave a long and whining yawn, shaking his head as if to clear it. The brunet was pretty worn out. Eren’s adrenaline was fading, his weary limbs trembling from the sudden onslaught of exhaustion. Amidst it all, a surging happiness. Eren would need to recover, so Levi led him back towards the hive. There was no argument from Eren; he let Levi lead him without question. Even the raven showed small signs of weariness, though if he was as exhausted as Eren he did a far better job of masking that fact. It was time for a nap, possibly a long one. After such an abrupt and draining start to the day, Eren figured they deserved a good nap. Some sleep would be good, then midday meal and maybe a couple of hours of cuddling if he was really lucky. It had been a while since Eren had allowed himself any real time to relax. There was so much to do, but maybe…just for today, he would let himself slack a little.

Eren cast a parting glance at the brilliant sky above, vowing silently to return soon, but he let Levi practically carry him past the chattering workers and inside the hive.

Of course Levi managed to have some stamina left, not even shaking as he trudged on with Eren practically in his arms. Eren knew it was because Levi fought smarter, he always had. There were no unnecessary moves or expenditures of effort from the raven, he was just that much better at waiting for the right moment to strike. Most of the time, Eren didn’t need to worry about that sort of smart fighting. He was faster than most enemies. Stronger, too. A well-aimed blow was usually enough.

Unless, of course, he was fighting someone like Levi who would wait for him to tire himself out.

But that wasn’t something that Eren feared. He would still have Levi to fight for him, _with_ him, if they ever encountered an enemy that Eren couldn’t bring down alone. And if the two of them weren’t enough, there was an entire kingdom of kin that would join the fray. If they couldn’t win, they would all die together.

Thus far, though, there hadn’t been a foe that they couldn’t defeat.

They were intercepted in the tunnels by a pair of soldiers waiting dutifully to deliver their reports from scouting. Eren listened with as much seriousness as he could muster, pushing back the giddy high of victory in order to pay proper attention.

The borders of Eren’s lands were secure, the farmland above ground being utilised to rehabilitate the resident fauna that had survived. It was only the clans that had been decimated, after all, and Eren relaxed a little more against Levi upon hearing that there was still life out there. The planet had hope of recovery yet. Next, activity reports. There was little news from the other clans, few as they were, and definitely no direct messages. Most of the survivors of other clans were suspicious, their minds wary presences in the collective consciousness. Eren understood their hesitation, even mistrust. Any queen waking that was not their own would translate into a potential threat to the other slumbering queens. If Eren recovered before the others woke, he could easily storm the other hives and eradicate the remaining queens while they were defenceless.

It would have been the perfect plan, for a tyrant.

Eren clucked unhappily at the insinuation, but it wasn’t a surprising revelation. Queens didn’t tend to get along at the best of times. They didn’t seek out violence, however, and chose to stick to their own lands for the most part. The war had been the largest collective effort on the queens’ parts in all of their history, with all the clans essentially bonding into one for the greater good of their species. Even that had been difficult.

But they had managed. And they had survived. That was what Eren remembered the most from that time…that his species was strongest when it united together, regardless of clashing personalities. If Eren had his way, they might all work together once again.

The reports were drawing to a close, mostly a recap. Borders clear and secure, farms beginning to flourish, etc… And, finally, the old hives had been explored. They were empty, the defences inactive. There was a high possibility that they would never awaken, having been neglected for so long.

This news should have dampened Eren’s spirits somewhat, but Levi sensed only a fleeting worry from the queen.

Levi realised that Eren didn’t believe that the old hives were dead.

The chances of them having survived this long on their own was slim. They were colossal structures that required constant care and maintenance, from a queen or loyal workers. Without that care, a lesser hive would quickly wither and perish, becoming nothing more than a rocky husk. Hives _could_ go dormant if they were stronger and more intelligent, all but shutting themselves down in cases of severe abandonment. In most cases, they would remain dormant. It was rare for a hive to be successfully reawakened and make a full recovery after an extended period of neglect. Without dedication from a queen or a leaderless clan, it was more likely that the hive would die.

And yet, Eren only seemed more determined after hearing the news.

He thanked the soldiers for their messages, sending them on their way with praise. Levi could sense Eren’s mind working, though whatever he was plotting was kept behind a careful veil of secrecy.

Eren only smiled at Levi when the raven prompted a response.

When Eren’s mind reopened it was full of predictable thoughts, _tired_ , _food_ , _sleep_ , _hungry_ , _Levi_ , _Levi_ , _Levi_.

A sigh left the raven, but he didn’t try to pry. It wouldn’t get him any more answers than outright pleading would, but when the time was right Eren would likely reveal his goal.

They continued on their way, food and sleep the only things in mind.

Levi hoisted Eren up properly, rolling his eyes at the happy little croons that left Eren’s throat. The brunet swung his legs, sluggish but pleased. Eren was used to fighting for certain dignity, but there were instances in which he didn’t mind when Levi babied him. Eren busied himself nuzzling the raven. His mood was quickly dampened by Levi’s thoughts, noticing that Eren was still lighter now than he had been before. He had a lot of feeding and training ahead of him before Levi would have any trouble carting him about like this. Eren sulked and pouted the rest of the way to the feeding tubes. He ate much more than usual, though. Under Levi’s careful watch, in case the brunet tried to outdo himself and made himself sick. Thankfully Eren wasn’t keen to humiliate himself like that and pulled away from the tubes when he couldn’t take anymore.

Eren probably would have fallen asleep right there if Levi hadn’t scooped him up again.

He received a happy sigh, Eren nuzzling into his shoulder. The brunet promptly became boneless, all but falling asleep as Levi carried him, a happy purr buzzing in the brunet’s throat.

Soon, the hive core came into view. The tunnels here were the darkest, but the bio-lights brightened at the presence of their queen. From there, the trip to the nest didn’t take long and Levi settled Eren in the bedding farthest from the entrances, where Eren would feel the safest. Eren would likely sleep heavily while he digested the last meal, unlikely to wake unless the hive was under threat. Even in his own hive, it would be a vulnerable state. Eren would need his bedding, his nest scent, the comfort that the core provided.

And, of course, something to cuddle.

It wasn’t surprising to Levi when Eren pulled him down, snuggling against the raven and immediately going lax. After tiring himself out so thoroughly, Eren was asleep in moments.

Levi wasn’t all that far behind.

 

 

When Levi woke next, it was to the quiet whining of Eren beside him. Still groggy, Levi tried to blink himself awake as he scented the air, tucking Eren closer to himself to check on him. The raven nosed into Eren’s hair, mindful of his horns. He found no trace of distress. There was nothing wrong with Eren, no pain or injury, and no foreign scents to hint at an intruder.

But still Eren whimpered and pressed himself closer, nuzzling his mouth against Levi’s jaw.

Eren fussed when Levi tried to calm him. Instead of allowing Levi to groom him, Eren wrestled his way out of the raven’s grip and draped himself over Levi to get to his pelvic plating. When Eren bit at the protective bone there, Levi felt a shock of understanding.

Oh. Eren was after that kind of attention.

It was odd but not unheard of for a queen to seek out their mate candidates without an express desire for their eggs. Which was good, because the only eggs Levi had at the moment were victus. Just leftover nutrient gel. It was always a good idea to have some handy, in case his queen needed an emergency boost of sustenance. Eren could have them if he wanted, but the brunet had never sought pleasure for the sake of pleasure before. In a stable hive, mating for the sake of pleasure was an understandable pursuit…and theirs was perhaps the only stable hive on the planet, currently. It could have been confidence on Eren’s part – assured that they were safe. Levi searched Eren’s thoughts, looking for anything to be worried about, anything out of the ordinary that might have gotten Eren worked up.

There was only longing. An intense desire to be close, with one soul in particular.

Levi realised that soul was him.

His mind was busy reeling at that latest realisation, but thankfully Levi’s body responded to Eren’s wishes without issue. The protective plating parted, settling aside. Eren’s mouth landed hot against Levi’s seam, tongue dragging a slick trail along the tender line and leaving it glistening, laving wet kisses there to coax it to open for him. It didn’t take much encouragement. The moment Levi’s seam gave way, Eren delved his tongue inside just to listen to Levi’s surprised gasp. Levi shuddered and squirmed. He was unused to this stimulation without the express influence of laying instincts driving the process. The situation was unfamiliar. Ultimately, though, Levi was Eren’s plaything as much as his protector and Eren’s methods of torment weren’t something to be suffered unwillingly.

Soon enough Eren felt the brush of hot flesh against his mouth, Levi’s ovipositor coaxed out by the attention. Here, Levi felt the most confusion. He had no clutch to deliver and the sensation of his length sliding free of its confines felt somewhat pointless.

In every instance that Levi had been called to mate, he’d been following the easy pull of instinct.

Go to the queen. Give up your eggs.

It was always so simple, Levi didn’t even have to think about it.

Now Eren stirred his body into a wanting daze, sluggish but responding to the queen’s obvious desire. His hips pressed up. Levi’s ovipositor sought out the nearest welcoming warmth, slipping against Eren’s lips. The raven gave a sheepish cluck, unsure.

It seemed to be exactly what Eren wanted, though. He kissed the sticky length, nuzzling and uncaring of the mess. The brunet showed none of the usual impatience for penetration, knowing there was nothing for his womb to accept. But this wasn’t about taking on a new clutch. Eren felt no disappointment at the knowledge that Levi had no new eggs for him. Instead, Eren toyed with his mate. He pressed mischievous fingers into Levi’s slit to search for pleasure receptors to torment, and stuck his tongue into the open end of the raven’s ovipositor. A yelp escaped Levi’s guard at the stimulation. Eren’s fingers, long and nimble, rubbed against places inside that the raven hadn’t known could feel good. But Eren had found them now, and he knew it. Eren’s touch was gentle, considerate of the delicate nature of where he was touching, but he didn’t hesitate to abuse the newfound triggers and make Levi writhe.

And writhe Levi did, held down mainly by Eren’s weight draped over him.

Eren pressed his fingers carefully further, feeling Levi’s hips jerk in response. Several knuckles deep in Levi’s slit, and still exploring the raven’s tip with his tongue, Eren seemed to be having a delightful time. Levi flung a hand down to grasp at one of Eren’s horns, tugging to keep the brunet in check. Levi’s attempt at reprimand was shaky at best. Eren only snickered at him, content with tormenting the raven. Levi gave an agitated chirp, but he didn’t think that this really counted as suffering.

The torment continued until Levi gave a hitching chirp and his length pulsed. Levi wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was no time to warn Eren of the impending overload that rocked the raven. He jerked as his ovipositor throbbed and finally spilled a rush of slick as Levi’s pleasure reached its peak.

Eren gurgled his surprise at the barely sweet fluid that spilled into his mouth and down his chin, but he didn’t seem upset.

Levi could only let himself breathe for a moment, thoroughly spent. He hadn’t even known that could happen. After the initial overwhelming sensation of tender places being touched for the first time, Levi was much more sensitive inside than he’d known. It was a good thing, the raven decided. Nothing was hurt, though Eren’s amused grooming was certainly bordering on too much after that last odd release. He was still licking long after the majority of slick had been cleaned away, chasing Levi’s retreating ovipositor with wet kisses that left the raven’s hips jerking, twisting away.

Tired, pleading little pushes coaxed Eren to leave Levi’s nethers alone for the moment and the raven gave a relieved sigh when the queen appeared next to him once more. Hands either side of Levi’s shoulders, Eren hovered over the raven and observed his handiwork. The soldier beneath him panted, his eyes still a little dazed. Levi swallowed, wet his lips, but even then he couldn’t manage to speak.

Eren beamed. He looked ridiculous with his eyes so wide and his skin gleaming with Levi’s splattered slick. But…he was undeniably happy.

_Alright?_ Eren pressed the thought towards Levi, waiting in eager silence.

Levi hummed in answer. He reached up a weary hand, Eren’s face sticky under the affectionate slide of Levi’s thumb across smiling lips. The raven withdrew his hand, dipping now-sticky fingers past his own lips to lick away the slick.

Eren watched him, his eyes filling with mischief, but Levi’s hands were on him before the brunet could think to leap away and start some game. They had a brief tussle, but Eren didn’t put much effort into winning. He held no desire to get away from Levi in any case, playing coy when Levi pinned him on his back. Eren stretched, flexing against Levi’s hold just to feel it constrict. A few attempts at escape were made, but Eren’s heart was far from the task and he only resisted to feel Levi press more of his weight against him. Trapped, yet Levi leaned down to greet him with a mischievous lick to the nose. So fond, any illusion of a tussle was forgotten. Levi released his grip, though he remained atop the brunet. Eren’s playful eyes wandered away, falsely shy, and his lowered lids slipped shut completely when Levi nuzzled his mouth.

What might have been a kiss quickly turned to grooming as Levi tasted his own slick on Eren’s lips and began to clean the stuff away before it could dry.

Eren’s next burst of movement was huffed at by Levi, and the raven didn’t have it in him to resist as Eren pounced at him. With his soldier pinned, Eren crowed his victory. His mind swam with amusement upon looking at Levi’s face – exasperation and resignation mingling on the raven’s features.

“Come _here_.” Levi finally found his voice, a little rasping though that only made Eren scoot closer.

Eren settled next to Levi, purring when the raven craned his neck to begin lapping away some of the sticky mess. Even grooming Eren was an effort after that sensation overload. The brunet was helpful, though. He leaned his head this way and that, giving Levi easier access to the various sticky spots on tanned skin. It wasn’t strange to be cleaning up his own fluids from Eren; after feeding the queen victus there was often a similar process.

Eren was a famously messy eater.

“Little menace.” Levi muttered between flicks of his tongue, clicking disapproval when Eren wouldn’t hold still.

The brunet was incredibly pleased with himself, maybe even a little smug as he chortled at Levi’s exasperated expression. If Levi hadn’t been exhausted before, he was sure feeling it now. Eren snickered, his good mood completely undampened by the occasional, chiding nip from Levi. While he was groomed, Eren did all that he could to break Levi’s focus. He rolled half atop the raven, chased after his mouth until Levi would bite at him and chase him off, latching onto Levi’s horns and growling playfully. Beneath him, Levi shivered as Eren gnawed happily at one of his horns. The stimulation was thoroughly distracting. When Eren’s hips slid over Levi’s, the sticky warmth of his entrance slipping against the raven’s pelvic plating just barely sealed over from their last activities, Levi clicked his tongue. Eren was making clean-up very difficult.

Eren’s amused hum could be felt right through Levi’s horn, the vibration making him sigh as the plating over his genital slit parted yet again.

Levi felt a growl building in his throat and he muffled the sound against Eren’s shoulder. He could feel Eren’s laughter, followed by a repentant croon soon afterwards, the queen a little sorry for causing so much trouble for his mate. With only one mate candidate, Levi had no relief from Eren’s affections or his needs. It was going to be tricky keeping Eren sated, living up to the usual standards of several mates able to be called upon at any time, but Levi felt utterly, fiercely possessive at the thought of going back to sharing Eren.

His thoughts, a brooding, greedy mess, only made Eren splay his legs wider over Levi’s parting seam.

The raven sat up, heaving Eren up with him. Easier to hold onto him, this way; Levi propped his back against the spongey wall behind them and pulled Eren closer. He licked at the remnants of slick from Eren’s neck, up past his jaw, but if Eren wanted to mess around he was going to get exactly what he wanted.

Eren sought Levi’s mouth, cutting Levi off in the raven’s quest to reach Eren’s horns. The queen held obediently still, determined to have Levi’s kisses and his ovipositor without waiting for either. The slick length was sluggish, sensitive from earlier. It quested about regardless of that, curling against the slippery heat of Eren’s entrance. The queen’s only movement was to roll his hips, gentle and encouraging, smearing his own mating fluids against the ovipositor as it found its place and began to push. Here, Eren was utterly still. His mouth paused against Levi’s, lips parting in a desperate little gasp when Levi pressed against him, the pressure slow and undemanding. Eren gave way to even that gentle effort, a deep shudder wracking him terribly as Levi’s length slid its way inside him, ridge by ridge. Soft, but spreading him well for eggs to come. No new clutch, not today. Eren felt only a brief discontent at the thought, before the first faux egg nudged against his entrance from within the ovipositor and began to slow press inside. Eren’s arms found their way around Levi’s shoulders and Eren pressed his forehead to the crook of Levi’s neck, mindful of his horns, mouth open around panting breaths. Things were slower going without Eren on his back, letting gravity do most of the work. It allowed Eren the opportunity to feel the steady stretch of extra girth inside him, a gradual progress that made him want to shake but for the sake of delicate flesh Eren held himself still. He felt Levi’s arms around him, one looping under and arm and hooking up to run fingers through sweat-damp hair. Levi gripped the base of one of Eren’s horns gently with this hand in an effort to help Eren remain still, letting the queen relax a little. Levi’s other arm rested around Eren’s side and over the small of his back, the hold there firm. Reassuring.

Eren’s breathing turned quick as the slow stretch pressed against nerves within him used to faster stimulation, a pressure inside stirring. Unknown, perhaps a little too much.

Levi pressed gentle kisses to Eren’s hair, his temple, thumbing the horn in his grasp with more pressure.

“Breathe,” Levi whispered to him, quiet and encouraging, “I’ve got you.”

The nest’s bio-lights dimmed, sensing Eren’s distress and providing a comforting gloom.

Reaching the end of Levi’s ovipositor, the first of the victus eggs pushed its way into Eren’s waiting womb and popped inside. Eren heaved a great sigh of relief, his insides tingling pleasantly in the aftermath but that new pressure still there, something unsatisfied without further stimulation. At his entrance, the next gel egg began to press in. Still slow, still rousing those nerves with patient, maddening pressure.

Eren’s hips squirmed a little despite the queen’s best efforts, a little growl buzzing in his throat. He could only pant heavily at the thrumming pleasure within, shaking his head. Dazed moments later when Levi pulled him up by the horn to claim his mouth, the queen blinking in a haze of stimulation – Levi’s ovipositor heavy inside of him, the false eggs pressing him further open, and now Levi’s tongue demanding in his mouth. Levi stifled his own electric pleasure by kissing Eren, tilting the dazed brunet’s head and sliding his tongue in to swallow Eren’s whimpers. Eren’s insides clenched in an unfamiliar rhythm, not the usual attempt to help offered eggs along. This was involuntary. Eren tensed in pleasure, moaning high and needy against Levi’s lips. Eren leaked more than usual between them, making a thorough mess of both their thighs. He seemed pretty out of it. Lost to unfamiliar bliss. They’d only mated out of necessity before, though if pleasure-seeking alone got Eren this relaxed then Levi was inclined to do it more often. Eren’s hands fumbled against Levi, barely functional in the brunet’s daze. He held onto whatever part of the raven he could manage to reach, bleating in alarm as the pressure in him grew.

Another egg passed up into him, and another, and another. Eren couldn’t seem to stop trembling, tensing tight around Levi’s ovipositor. As the final egg was sliding inside, Levi leaned Eren back against the bedding until Eren lay beneath him, clinging as best he could to the hovering raven. It was easier for that last egg to slip inside and Levi pressed his hips close to give Eren every last bit of his length.

That did the trick. Eren cried out, and startled, garbled yelp of “Levi!” that had Levi’s hips jolting forward again at the mention of his name, so rarely heard from Eren’s lips. The last egg slid quickly through and Eren squeezed down tight around Levi. He let go of a moan that sounded downright agonised as the little gel sphere popped past the last barrier within him and settled in his womb with the others. Levi felt a rush of fluid accompany Eren’s rhythmic squeezing and Eren’s sigh was more akin to a sob.

No more pressure inside, his insides took their limit of pleasure and gave into bliss, a surplus of mating fluid escaping Eren. It certainly helped Levi extract himself, able to slip easily free despite Eren’s continuous clenching as if to keep him in.

Eren shivered, his eyes wet, unsure if he wanted to laugh or perhaps start weeping.

Levi had him in his arms before Eren could decide on either, tucked against a warm chest while Eren shivered and twitched, unused to this new form of release. Eren supposed Levi had felt the same way earlier. Though the raven did not tease Eren afterwards, as Eren had done to his soldier upon discovering a new pleasure for the raven. Eren gave a sheepish chirp, nuzzling closer.

Levi was good to him like that, allowing Eren his mischief, his games. Allowing Eren his relief, where the brunet might have teased otherwise had their roles been reversed. Always in good faith. Perhaps a little mean, though Eren would never harbour an intention to hurt Levi through his teasing.

Their earlier nap was rendered useless by their activity, though Eren suspected they would not sleep for too long. Easy tasks would be undertaken today. Anything strenuous could wait for tomorrow, after new training and rest. It would take some weeks for Eren to regain prime condition, but after that an abundance of opportunities would be open to him. There was much work to be done. Hive maintenance. Always something else to be improved, rebuilt, or torn down. And all around them, land to be reshaped into new territories in the absence of previous rulers. Eren’s for the taking, if he so wished it. Soon, there wouldn’t be a creature on their planet that could stop him, though perhaps a nobler path lay ahead. The future Eren dreamed of was steadily becoming attainable, with every new day they took another step towards it.

And soon, Levi would know the shape their future would take.

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eren launches his plan into action.

 

 

The months passed in a strict routine: training in the mornings, recovery naps, building out the hive. Bigger, stronger, safer.

Always safer.

Eren worked himself ragged facing off against Levi each morning, although sensibly after at least eating something first. Being approached like an enemy was enough to have even Levi’s thoughts a little sharp with a wary edge, something that Eren kept tabs on. At the very least, Levi was glad that their queen was taking recovery seriously. Plenty of food. Training. Rest, even though Eren was easily restless with so much work he had left to do.

“What is it?” Levi would ask him.

He didn’t ask often. Just often enough to tweak at Eren’s conscience. Levi knew him too well to believe that there were no secrets rattling around in Eren’s mind, brewing schemes that were driving the queen frantic. But he was also trusting, prying only when Eren got too worked up about being kept indoors. Safe, yes, but stifled.

And then the question came.

“What work is there that you can’t hand over to us?” Accompanied always by those loyal eyes, pleading silently for Eren to let him help.

Eren didn’t have any answers for his mate, only rolling over to glower at the walls of the nest and falling into silent contemplation. That was probably more worrying for Levi. For all of the clan, even. They couldn’t stop their queen from thinking. And so Eren’s schemes grew ever louder in his head, trickier to keep from the rest of the minds that thrummed about in Eren’s awareness.

They’d know soon enough.

 

 

Gradually, Eren was allowed to return to more strenuous tasks. Training sessions in the morning continued; Eren’s naps grew shorter now that his endurance was returning. The afternoons were spent in leisurely toil, coaxing the new tunnels to grow, visiting the finished farms in new caverns. It was the kind of labour that queens relished. Creation. Still, the clan retained very parental concern for their leader, keeping a close eye on the brunet throughout the days. At the first signs of weariness, Eren found himself set upon by the nearest kin. Workers could be surprisingly stern when they believed their queen’s health was in even the slightest jeopardy. And so it was back to the nest. Scheduled snuggle time with his little ones, often with Levi joining the amassed cuddle pile. Those moments were the ones Eren didn’t mind so much, nestled amongst his little family, the soft whistling breaths of his youngsters like a soothing music. At times like that, Eren would lay on his back and stare up at the nest ceiling in wonder. He’d built this place so long ago now. The whole room, the whole structure, lived to keep his people safe. This hive was greater now than any other on the planet…but it still wasn’t finished.

So much left to be done.

Reaching up with long fingers, Eren brushed fingers against the thick tendrils that slipped from the walls, the ceiling, in answer to his troubled thoughts and seeking fingers. Good defences, and good company. With the size of his hive, the thing was all but expanding itself at this point. That took a tremendous weight from Eren’s shoulders and it was something Eren was grateful for every day. His kin had never been safer. Every tunnel had its own defences. Pockets containing stores of liquid matter to be sprayed out at hostile forces, able to stiffen and immobilise threats in seconds. Tendrils left dormant for the most part, but ready to spring out and bar the way for enemies, lash out with hardened tips, or ensnare and strangle.

But still so gentle with his little ones; a hive was the best nanny that a queen could ask for.

It was more than they’d ever had and Eren had never been more proud. He’d built this place, but not on his own. All his kin, his clan, had helped. This place was theirs, and it had their loyalty as much as it was loyal in return. The very roof over their heads was a guardian in its own right, more formidable than any threat that could walk their planet.

And every day it grew stronger. That had been the most important step forward.

Knowing this, Eren turned his attention to new goals. With his hive thriving and his clan safe, it was time to find out how the rest of the world was coping.

Amidst the routine of passing days, Eren communicated with the various scouts that travelled across the planet surface. Hardy soldiers, or particularly fast-travelling workers. They returned often, relaying information on other hives, existing kin, and of course…the remnants of queenhood. It was tricky to infiltrate other hives. Even in this state of weakness, the other clans were prickly about visitors. Any scouts that weren’t their own were usually not appreciated, unless they brought good news or offers of help. Eren’s soldiers, being the healthier creatures and better equipped for any sort of altercation, were eventually allowed to pass. The dwindling clans couldn’t afford to waste the time, nor the energy, on a pointless fight. All their efforts were focused on one thing.

The one thing Eren had been dying to know. Finally, he had solid answers.

There were three other surviving queens being maintained in their states of hibernation, in three separate hives. Just three of the mighty leaders remained, apart from Eren himself.

Four of them in total on the whole of the planet.

All other kin that had endured, survived, were working to sustain these queens. The stragglers were gathered from countless broken clans from pre-war times, and they had formed new clans in their desperation. But their numbers were minimal, their spirits disheartened. Without help there wouldn’t be much hope for even their own survival, let alone the queens stuck in hibernation. They needed aid, and fast.

Thankfully, that was exactly what Eren intended to give them.

But it would take some time. First, Eren had to complete the next big phase of his plan: connecting the hives. The first step had, of course, been securing his own clan and territory for that was something instinct demanded of him. Now that his people were safe, it was time to look further than home base and Eren’s call to build had never been so powerful. It was a need that sought to pull him from his hive, away from his little ones. Here, they would be safe enough. Big enough, too, that they would soon need to leave the core and bed down with others in the hive. A lack of hatchlings present in the nest would no doubt ignite Eren’s mating drive in no time.

For now, though, there was work to be done.

And Eren’s experiment could begin without even leaving his own territory, for the queen had erected more than one hive in his time. Never in his wildest dreams had he considered merging them before. No one had.

But now…desperate times and all.

It would be a tall order, as hives were usually spread far apart. Only strong queens built more than one hive, and Eren was grateful that he’d had strength enough to do so. The structures he’d formed had been invaluable shelters during the chaos of the war, probably the reason that so many of his people had survived at all. To bridge the space between hives was unheard of. A hive was already enormous on its own – a mighty extension of its creator. It would be a huge effort to pull multiple structures together and only loyal hives would be likely to merge without significant persuasion. That would only make Eren’s job harder. All the more reason to begin on home turf. He was determined, and Eren singled out a sole objective. All he wanted, first and foremost, was to connect each hive in his territory. Less than that even – just getting one secure tunnel between two hives would be an acceptable start. They could build out later, adding rooms, tunnels, more farms. Then a tunnel to the other hives on his land. Outposts would be expanded, the catacombs would be more extravagant than ever. And from there, a super hive could begin to form. The idea was simple at heart, but overwhelmingly important at the same time. By connecting each hive and building upon them as one massive unit, the entire underground of Eren’s territory could become a safe haven. A new city safe from invasion, where homes and farms could be built in plenty.

They would never have to fear starvation or annihilation again.

All of that was just the start. Ultimately…Eren’s plan was to take the super hive global. If he succeeded, their entire planet would become one hive, shared by all. Loyal to all. Perhaps it would take on true sentience, and become their guardian? A planetary protector.

Perhaps there would be no need for warrior queens after this? No internal squabbling for power?

If Eren could just pull off this one, crazy scheme…then maybe he could simply settle down and spend his days growing the enormous family he’d always wanted.

Would Levi want the same, if he knew?

All Eren had to do was dwell on memory, the bond between himself and Levi that had turned to the stubbornest glue over the years, and the answer became obvious. Levi had always favoured peace. He was good to their hatchlings, so happy with their budding family that the raven’s thoughts were often a muddled mess.

It was that knowledge that drove Eren’s determination. The sooner he completed his goals, the sooner their peaceful future could begin.

And so, some months into the routine of training and building, Eren lay awake yet again in his nest while most of the others around him were deep in sleep. The only other souls awake were the few workers carting soil from new caverns to the outside, or the select few soldiers standing guard. Levi lay dreaming nearby, all but buried in the bodies of their younglings. Their little ones were so big now, half the size of their father and becoming quickly accustomed to their more humanoid forms as their tails shrank, eventually to disappear entirely. For now, Eren let them remain in the nest. Eren would have to hunt them out of the hive core when he started taking eggs again, or he’d be too worried about them all playing together. New hatchlings were just too small for their energetic older siblings to handle delicately. But for now Eren was too happy at their presence to shoo the youngsters out into the hive, and he had no newborns to worry about yet. Eren traced adoring fingers over the sleeping forms curled against him, feeling them shiver and nestle closer. His hands ended up in familiar inky hair, threading through dark locks, and Eren pressed the pad of a thumb along the line of Levi’s jaw. The raven sighed, sounding so peaceful. He did not wake, Eren could sense as much in the numb fuzziness of Levi’s consciousness, but in his sleep Levi reached out for the brunet. Found a youngster instead and tucked it close, protective. Eren’s chest felt tight. Everything was so perfect, finally, and yet he could not stay. He had to go, now while there were too few awake to stop him.

None of the youngsters stirred when Eren crept up and away, glancing back at his little family, all of them huddled and full of happy dreams. Eren liked dreams, for he got to see so many of them from his clan. They were soft and fluttering presences at the edge of his mind, shared by the sleeping souls that took refuge under his protection. Eren’s offspring dreamed of predictable things, like what games they would play when they woke. Levi’s head, so often worried in his waking hours, was filled with a thousand happy futures he wished for. Those were the dreams Eren couldn’t dwell on for long, or he’d burst. With sadness, or happiness, it was tricky to tell.

Levi, greatly comforted by the embrace of many of his own offspring, didn’t so much as twitch at Eren’s sudden absence from the nest. Good. It would be hard to explain to him…why Eren had to go.

Levi would have tried to stop him. Only ever with the best intentions.

And that was why Eren had to leave now, while his favoured ones were all sleeping. He pressed the gentlest thoughts of love and fondness into their dreams, then turned to go.

Eren stalked out of the core in silence, startling more than one of the soldiers standing guard. Their queen should have been sleeping. Eren didn’t miss the glances the soldiers shared, their concern mixing with anxiety at the knowledge that they should probably stop him from leaving the core for that was clearly what was happening. Their questions were silenced with a glance from the queen, hushing their concern with stern thoughts.

_Stand down. Stay at your posts._

Their apprehension trailed after Eren, but all he could do to reassure them was the promise of a speedy return.

Eren hoped it would be the truth, and stole off into the night.

He was greeted by a shock of cool night air, forcing senses to sharpen in response.

Under the glow of several moons, the landscape was painted in ghostly hues. Ashen ground, hopeful little saplings stretching their way through the pale dirt even now, and the jagged shapes of mountains looming dark in the distance.

In the gloom of night, everything seemed much more hopeful.

It had been a long time since Eren had wandered his own land alone. After being confined to his own hive for the better part of the last months, Eren couldn’t help the clinging paranoia that had his senses straining to pick up any threats, still dreading some phantom enemy. But the stretching plains were bare of enemies. Flat all the way to the mountains on this side of the hive, with gentle hills on the other. There were only the few, scuttling creatures running about. They would have been prey before everything had been decimated. Now, Eren’s people consumed hive sustenance and vegetation in order to allow the animals to repopulate.

Eren paid the scurrying creatures no mind, darting onwards. He hadn’t bothered to warp himself over any long distances since waking, and Eren didn’t attempt to do so just yet. The night air was pleasantly cool, and all Eren wanted to do was _run_.

He bolted across the fields, watching a few startled heads pop up from interrupted toil.

Only a few of Eren’s kin were awake at all, workers spending solitary nights in shifts tending to the farmland, some still bringing the rich soil from underground to help in the fields above. Slow growing, but there. A much-needed resource. Eren flashed a dazzling grin at the owlish gazes of the workers he sped past, their clicks of query cutting through the night air.

What was he doing up at such a late hour? Why was he outside? Alone? Where was he going?

The queen whistled comfort at them. Promises of return. A plea for them to spread the news when the others woke. He was leaving them for only a short while, and intended to return just as soon as he could. This, he begged the workers to relay to the clan.

They watched him go, worry brewing in their minds. But their trust in Eren was stronger than their fear and none of the workers moved to stop their queen.

He would come back to them.

Eren always came back.

 

 

Running reminded Eren of the early days.

He remembered his first real fear…the day he’d decided to leave his home. Unwilling to cause trouble and knowing that he couldn’t remain there peacefully, Eren had taken off into the night and wondered if he would ever be able to return. The open plains of their world had lain before him. Full of life, but nothing that Eren could take with him.

He’d run till the minds of home were just a gentle thrum in the background of his awareness.

And then, he’d noticed. Company.

Expecting a fight already, Eren had spun with fury. Claws at the ready.

And then he’d seen Levi. Just an unassuming soldier, completely unsurprised by the blatant display of aggression from the brunet. Elation had taken over. Eren raced to embrace the raven the moment he understood Levi’s purpose there…he was coming with him. The soldier was always more surprised by affection than aggression.

Those early nights had always been cold, with nothing more than shallow burrows to conceal them. After being used to enormous snuggle piles, Eren had to get used to only having one companion to bed down next to. He was grateful for never having to learn to sleep alone.

In those early days, Eren had held endless energy, always restless and eager to launch into action. Hunting was one outlet, sparring was another. Levi had no trouble thrashing him back then. Every failure to win was an opportunity to learn, however, and Levi never spared a moment for mockery. His criticism held no bias.

“ _Balance, Eren. You’ll lose your footing._ ”

“ _Take your time, read the fight. One day you’ll know what I’m about to do before I do it._ ”

“ _Come on, try again. You don’t have to beat me. Just get a little further than last time._ ”

They had known each other quite completely, even then. Coexisting was not a problem, though life with just two was very different from hive life. Yet another reason for Eren’s agitation in his adolescence. He wanted the bustling routines of hive and home, the noise of frequent litters of new youngsters. Somewhere secure, where Eren could build all those things for himself. There was no urge in him to build, however. Eren knew that creating a brand new hive would be pointless in their current numbers – the process would drive them to exhaustion and death. Eren wouldn’t do that to Levi. No, instead of building something new…he could simply overrun a pre-existing hive. It was not such a simple process. Queenhood was not something Eren would sacrifice with oversight; he would choose his first true opponent with care. Only a creature that deserved his claws would draw the brunet into a proper fight.

When Eren had finally dethroned a queen and claimed a hive and new people, he felt...better. Just as frantic in his restlessness, but this time instinct shifted from the thrashing need to fight to something more urgent. Build, sustain.

With the addition of a hive to call his own, Eren could begin to work towards better goals. Kin, company. One day, a family.

There was a reason that Eren longed for a large family, a need that had fallen upon him in that first moment that he’d left his birth hive. In truth, the thought of existing alone made Eren’s skin crawl. That had only become worse after the war, when Eren had realised the queens would be the very last creatures to fall if things ended badly. The possibility of being the last creature alive, cut off from all kin, was Eren’s greatest fear. It had haunted him up until the final, exhausting victory. And then, blissful slumber. Unawareness in which dreams could not haunt the troubled queen.

Waking to find his hive sustained and kin still living had been…overwhelming. He wasn’t alone.

Then, across unimaginable space, Eren had felt a familiar connection that burned as he reached out for it.

 _Levi_.

So far from home, but still alive. Of course he would be. There wasn’t a creature on their planet as stubborn as Levi, Eren’s strongest. His favourite. Eren had kept that favouritism hidden for the most part with well-kept tradition, following expectations. Waking then and knowing that they’d both survived…Eren knew that if Levi answered the call to return home, he would never let the raven out of his range ever again.

A little smile crept across Eren’s face as he slowed his run, taking in the delicate return of life in his surroundings. It was everything he’d never allowed himself to believe. The fight had consumed everything and, while they had fought with hope, expectations had been dismal. But now, things were finally recovering. Their society, while vastly smaller, was now able to rebuild. And in such new and changing times, Eren felt that no one would blame him for wanting to keep only one mate. There was really only one outcome that could change that decision. If the other queens perished, it would be Eren’s responsibility to continue to create more complex lines. But…if he dared to hope for the queens’ survival, then that responsibility could be theirs. All Eren desired to do was make strong children to protect his home.

He set his eyes on the horizon, determination rising.

 

 

Levi woke with a sense that something was off. He was roused by the brightening glow of bio-lights and the disgruntled groaning of the hive around them. Blinking, Levi’s muddled mind reached out to take in various information. His little ones were fretting. The clan was uneasy. Levi sat up, more alert at the strange change in the shared consciousness, and was met with sad little whines all around. In the next instant, the soldier noticed something was horribly wrong.

Eren was gone.

Not just gone from the room, but physically nowhere near them.

The realisation wrenched all notion of sleep from the raven. Levi was on his feet in an instant, heart frantically beating in his chest, readying for a warp he probably shouldn’t be attempting so soon after waking. Still, his groggy mind struggled into focus. Just as soon as he could zero in on Eren’s location-

_No, Levi._

Blank, nothing, no information. Despite Eren’s presence resounding clearly in his head, Levi couldn’t track his location. Not the usual way. But Levi’s nose wouldn’t lie, and Eren couldn’t cover his tracks without wasting time.

Levi marched for the tunnels, feeling the equivalent of a mental sigh from Eren. A little fondness, too.

_Levi. Please understand._

But Eren was telling him no. Stop. Don’t follow.

Levi’s stopped in his tracks, teeth grinding together as his initial panic began to fade. The worry melted quickly into anger, something that Levi couldn’t help. He needed to know where Eren was. Levi couldn’t protect his queen from such a distance. It was the furthest they’d been apart since Eren had awoken from his deep slumber.

“What the hell are you doing taking off, huh?” Levi rasped, swallowing back the anger. For a moment he just had to breathe and calm down. “Don’t scare us like that. Where are you?”

_I’ll be back soon, I promise._

The answer had Levi’s eyes narrowing, his head buzzing with confusion. Evasion was a strange tactic from Eren. It had to be something vastly important or their queen would still be sleeping amongst its little ones. But…if it was important, it could very well be dangerous.

“If you’re going anywhere then I’m coming with you.” The raven announced, but he felt Eren’s response incoming even before he’d taken a step.

_No, I’ll be alright. It’s safe where I’m headed. Probably._

“Probably?”

_Levi…there’s nowhere I’d go without returning to you. Trust me._

Levi hissed, eyes shutting tight. Breathe.

“Don’t get yourself killed, idiot.” The tone was harsh, but concern was a hard thing to stifle.

Eren wasn’t fooled, receiving the telling rush of emotions that flooded into his head with Levi’s words. So much worry. Frustration as he was told to stay. There were no means to hide these things from one’s queen, though Levi did try. He was supposed to be the strong one, after all.

_I’ll make you proud, my little soldier. Take care of everyone for me, please._

Deep breaths, calm, trust. Levi did trust Eren, even if he was just about going mad from worry right then. But he forced himself to stop reaching out for the queen. Eren didn’t want to be found. Didn’t want to be dragged back just yet, and he would let Levi know the moment, the second, the instant that he needed him.

With a heavy sense of unease, Levi returned to the core to face the nest full of youngsters that were already missing their mother’s warmth.

Stepping into the nest, Levi could feel Eren’s presence there. The queen clearly hadn’t found it easy to leave them, smothering the confused little minds of his babies with all the love he had in him. Comfort settled over them like a blanket. Levi felt the gentle brushes against his own consciousness, the brunet desperate to let Levi know that his devotion was as strong as ever. Eren loved nothing and no one as much as Levi and their young. Wordless adoration filtered into Levi’s thoughts, apologies without voice that made Levi’s heart heavy. He didn’t want apologies, he wanted Eren there with him. Wanted more than that to be wherever Eren was now, to know that the brunet had someone to watch his back.

But until Eren deemed the time right, there was nothing to be done but adhere to Eren’s wishes.

Levi hoped to the stars and back that his queen knew what he was doing.

 

 

Eren spotted his target at first dawn, before the second sun could rise. Out along the flat expanse of an ashen plane, one of Eren’s secondary hives stood in the blotchy orange light.

A haunting sight, eerily abandoned. It rose starkly against the pale dawn sky – a bleached and jagged peak of hive exo-matter. In its prime, it would have been doubly formidable. Left abandoned and without care, it lay crumbling, the outer surface flaking and ashen.

Eren’s face fell, his chest constricting with a flurry of unpleasant emotion.

In a way, these hives were the first children Eren had ever had. Sentient creatures that required care until they could function on their own. He’d had two hives under his care before ever building one of his own – the first one a conquest, the second his mother’s. But the hive that lay before Eren now was one he’d built himself. It was smaller than the previous two structures, which had been home bases for both their inhabiting queens. This hive was more of an outpost. A bonus shelter, useful back when Eren’s people had been overflowing in numbers. Eren had built many secondary hives, but his home base had always been his birth hive. It was the place that he had the most memories in, had put the most effort into, and shared the strongest bond with.

Eren had approached the hive that was furthest from his home base. That made the most sense to him, for once things were underway he could work his way inwards and connect the other hives until he reached the centre.

If they were even salvageable, that was.

As long as the inner structure had not decayed, repairs would be possible. If that integrity was gone and the interior had collapsed, Eren would have yet another sorrow to hold in his heart.

With the hive in sight, the queen was desperate to know more.

Eren made a risky warp, still clumsy with the process after so long, but it spat him out where he’d intended and he only stumbled a little. Right beside the jutting structure, Eren stood and swallowed. The whole place was utterly abandoned. Empty and echoing. Once it would have been bustling with the farming workers of the outskirts, but there had been no company in this area for years. Eren was struck with a burning sense of failure. This thing was his, he’d built it, and it had been suffering in his absence…he hadn’t been able to keep it safe and healthy. That burden did not fall on his kin. Their only responsibility had been to maintain Eren’s life and he couldn’t have been prouder of them.

With a heavy heart, and a small but flickering hope, Eren reached out careful fingers to meet the greyed exterior of his structure. His eyes slipped closed in concentration and Eren forced himself to breathe. In and out, until his mind was as calm as it could get under the circumstances. He reached out with his mind, searching for any sort of response or sign for several, long moments.

When his eyes opened again, he had his answer.

The hive was cold under Eren’s touch, dormant and sickly.

But not dead.

Eren had to make a conscious effort to keep his legs from buckling with relief at the weak but present life he sensed. There was no scent of decay and the faintest presence of resting consciousness lingered. The hive was sleeping. A good defence tactic, though one used only in the direst situation.

A near-total shut down. All energy in reserves, used only to preserve the structure. This could not work forever and was only meant to help a hive last until help came.

It was the only reason this hive still lived, though barely.

This hive had not felt a living presence enter its maze in years, and it barely stirred as Eren stepped into the first, darkened tunnel. Nothing moved. Nothing attempted to stop his progress, though Eren moved very slowly inwards. One step at a time. Checking for responses, wary of defences that might lash out. But no, the hive was too weak for that. There were no bio-lights active, the process far too taxing for the fragile structure. Eren doubted, then, that the defences would be intact. Still, he did not enter further. There was evidence enough for the queen to begin work immediately, and he focused his efforts on that entrance.

Eren got to work, letting viscous gel form at the tips of his fingers. He gathered the stuff, smeared on each palm. The first touch against the flaking tunnel walls had the hive giving its first vocal response – quaking, agony. It knew now that help had arrived, and that could mean only one thing. Queen had returned. Still, the reunion was far too bittersweet for celebration just yet. Eren’s touch, while helpful, stung. His bio-matter would do wonders in restoring whatever parts of the hive that it touched, but it would be far from comfortable. Despite that, the hive reached out with such hope that Eren’s chest was heavy with it. His mind spun feeling the hive trying to wake itself to greet him even through its pain. So much feeling poured into him from the exhausted structure; joy, relief, pain, so much pain. Eren’s eyes stung with tears for his suffering creation, so many pleas echoing in his head, it hurts, it hurts.

_I’m here. Hush now, I’ll take care of you._

Eren implored the hive to sleep, for there was nothing he could do to lessen its pain other than continue to work.

Though risky in its own right, the hive recognised its maker. It fell into silence once more, placing the upmost trust in its queen even though sleeping so thoroughly could mean it may never wake again.

Eren had faith.

While all kin were capable of hive repairs, queens were the most efficient builders. They produced the most bio-matter, tending to spend much time around loyal hives to perform repairs, improvements, and expansion. Eren knew he could save this hive. It took several days’ tireless work, but Eren revived that first entrance tunnel as far inwards as it led before branching out. With the addition of his own material, Eren coaxed the agonised structure out of its slumber to check if it would wake at all. By some miracle, the hive did awaken at his call. Properly, this time. Still exhausted, but alive. The first touch of its presence against Eren’s mind had him reeling – such weakness in a once mighty hive was an insult to the poor structure. Its pain was hard to bear, but Eren did not recoil from the hive’s presence as it inspected its unlikely saviour, full of yearning for its queen to restore it to life and glory.

That, thankfully, was Eren’s intention.

_You will be mighty once again._

With that knowledge confirmed, the hive sank into quiet relief and slept while Eren worked his way slowly inwards. Soft, revitalising bio-matter was smoothed over the dehydrated walls, coaxing the old flesh to begin to mend itself. The queen’s progress was arduous, slow out of necessity. If Eren missed a single spot, it could leave the tunnels to crumble around him deeper in. To be entombed in such a foolish manner was an unacceptable way to perish. So Eren took his time, pressing new hive matter over the flaking walls of each tunnel, nurturing the new walls to grow and spread their life and strength.

Inwards, Eren worked - a straight path to the hive’s core. The further in he went, the healthier things seemed. Of course the inner hive areas would be in better condition than the exterior, but there was much to be improved. If the very heart of the structure could be coaxed back to health, then the hive could begin to repair itself. For now, it was relying solely on the queen’s aid. Its own reserves were needed just to keep itself alive and awake, constantly coaxed to respond by the worrying brunet. Repairs of this extent were taxing for a queen in the height of health, and Eren knew he still had recovering to do. Eren would need the hive’s help. It would be too taxing on his being to rebuild the entire place and lending his strength to such an extent could send Eren right back into slumber. But he could get things started. First, the core. Once the heart of the hive was recovered, it could assess which areas to begin mending itself. For a weakened queen out alone at the borders of its territory, a hive core was the safest place to be. And so Eren worked, his quiet presence an enormous comfort to the recovering structure. Not every queen would consider wasting valuable resources and energy on restoring a structure that was so weakened.

But this was a living creature. Eren refused to leave it to perish and he worked himself into the ground to bring it closer towards health.

This way, his hive could place its trust back in him. After such a long abandonment, that should have been a hard thing to do. Eren opened his mind to the hive without hesitation, feeling its sluggish presence in his head, filtering through memories and feelings. Looking for information and answers. The structure pieced together the happenings of the past years and Eren felt it arrive at an understanding.

It knew why it had been left alone.

Eren shared its agony for the lost kin, for its sister hives – some of which were likely beyond saving. There were many children that Eren would never have back, and not all of them had been birthed the traditional way. Some of them were handmade homes, loyal shelters, the most reliable of guardians. In the privacy of solitude, Eren mourned their loss. He was glad not to be entirely alone, comforted by the ever-growing presence of this hive that became ever more aware under his care.

The core was still the most secure place in the hive, and here there were existing defences. They reached for Eren sluggishly, but not out of misplaced violence. Eren greeted weary tendrils, petting with sticky hands that smeared helpful bio-matter.

 _Take from me and be healthy_ , Eren pleaded.

In this hive, the core was far less complex. That, at least, would make the restoration efforts less taxing.

There was no nest here, for this hive had never been intended as a breeding residence. It was for scouting soldiers and workers of the far reaches of Eren’s territory to bed down for the night and feel safe. The borderlands had always been farming country, well defended by brave scouts and feisty workers. Eren looked forward to continuing that tradition. He worked his way along weakened tentacles to the walls from which they reached out of. Here, he focused his efforts. These tendrils could provide the most help if they could be properly revived. They drank up the restoring liquids Eren made for them, secreted through gentle fingertips to soak into the tired flesh. When they began to move more surely, Eren implored them to help. These things had little minds of their own, capable of remaining awake even without the main hive. Something always had to be awake to protect the interior.

The long and reaching helpers began to create their own hive matter, and the mission to revive the hive core began in earnest. Gradually, the dehydrated walls began to regain their colour. Here, the hive presence would be the strongest. It would know to wake fully when the time was right.

It took days of careful, intricate work…but at last the core groaned into full consciousness around Eren’s weary form. It greeted its exhausted maker, its saviour, sending grateful tendrils to comfort the panting queen. The work had been arduous. Eren could already feel tremors of exhaustion setting in – never a good sign. Eren let the hive soothe him as best it could, tendrils petting his shaking form.

He was so, so tired. At the same time Eren was so relieved, he could have wept.

Instead, the brunet turned his attention to one final task he had to complete before he could think of rest. Eren summoned all of his focus and sent a single, fierce call to his primary hive. The connection surged to life, so strong after the sluggish presence of this hive. Eren was briefly overwhelmed by the renewed bond between a fully equipped, healthy hive and all the little minds safe under its care. He reeled for a moment. When Eren came back to himself, his hive and indeed all his people seemed to be holding their breath. In the midst of confused, anxious minds…Eren could sense Levi.

But the command Eren sent was not for his kin. It was his hive that received first word from the queen, something so brief and simple in theory even as Eren summoned it into practice.

_I am here. Come to me._

The request was received by confusion, Eren’s birth hive puzzling over its new task after weeks of radio silence from its resident queen. The command was an odd one.

But his hive was loyal enough to obey regardless of that.

No hive could move, but they could grow. That was the only conceivable way for Eren’s birth hive to reach him; it was perhaps the most capable of this, enormous as it was after Eren’s expansion efforts. Even as Eren’s kin flailed in confusion, his hive responded. Calculating, it sought out the best way to get to its queen quickly in case he was in trouble. A direct route. Eren could feel its efforts pooled into one area, the tunnel best facing Eren’s location immediately beginning its slow expansion outwards. Gradually, but inevitably, the hive was coming. Eren could almost feel it in the ground around them, though perhaps it was his imagination?

Phase two was finally, truly underway.

This task was what Eren’s primary hive was meant for, after all. Making it so large, so strong, had all been so that it might have the ability to act on its own. To survive on its own, should anything happen to Eren and his kin. Such a tall order, and unheard of too, had made even Eren wonder if it would work. Could he create such a sentient thing, and then command it?

As it happened, he could.

The main hive reached for him now with quiet determination. It could take months for it to reach him. But it _would_ reach him.

Eren turned his thoughts towards the hive that currently surrounded him, still aching and in need of repairs. But capable enough now that it might begin to heal itself.

 _Help is coming. Heal now_ , Eren told it gently, brushing away any concern it held for his wellbeing, _I’ll be alright_.

The queen staggered, his legs wobbly, and Eren caught himself on a wall. There was still one last thing he needed to do before rest.

To Levi, Eren secured a burning connection. He trembled even in thought with his exertion but managed to communicate before consciousness abandoned him.

_Levi, I need you._

He felt Levi latch onto his mind, seizing his location now that Eren would finally give it. There was no word back. Even without it, Eren felt Levi launching into action. Eren’s limbs would not hold him, but he was satisfied enough with where he collapsed. The core of this hive was a far cry from Eren’s nest, but it would keep him safe and watch over him while he slept. How long that sleep would be, Eren did not know.

With the stern guardianship of the hive around him, the queen plummeted into unconsciousness with only a little fear.

Eren hoped he would wake again soon.

Levi would never forgive him otherwise.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know. Just let me have my 101 space AUs, okay?
> 
> P.S. Terminology: _victus supplements_ = nutrients delivered to the queen, usually during gestation to provide food and resources for growing young. Either via mouth to mouth for regular digestion, or deposited directly into the womb depending on the queen's desires or the needs of the young. Just in case anyone was confused by that o_o


End file.
